No More
by TheArtificer42
Summary: For nearly his entire life Hiccup grew up in the barbaric lands of Norway, found as a baby and raised in the worst way possible; as a slave, seen as a waste of space and an easy target to abuse. As the situation worsens, increasing rumors of an Archipelago comes to his attention and the opportunity lays opened to him, giving him a chance to finally end his torture. - AU
1. A Rude Awakening

**Right, so this my second fanfic. Originally, I had something else planned aside this, but when this idea popped into my head I just couldn't get it out of my mind, and eventually it lead me wanting to turn this idea into a story.**

 **Keep in mind by the way that the setting presented in this chapter will** _ **not**_ **be the main setting/plot, though it will last through a certain amount of chapters, and in the future there will be Hiccstrid.**

 **But anyways, for now I present you guys with my new story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Hiccup woke up nearly startled to the sound of the horn echoing throughout the Viking city of Kattegat. He shivered as a cold chill blew against him, and blinked from the light of the cloudy winter morning.

The eighteen year old sat up straight, shifting his feet to the wooden floor of the small cottage, rubbing his eyes as his vision began to come more clear to him.

"Another day of work, as usual." he yawned, stretching himself out.

But just as he was about to stand to his feet, a sudden loud knock came from the wooden door of the cottage and it bursted open, revealing a buff man who wore black, from his padded cloth jacket to his leather gloves, leggings, and boots.

Hiccup gave a groan. 'The Slavemaster.' he thought to himself. 'I hate this guy…'

"Get up, Slave!" he called out angrily. "The Blacksmith is piling up with warriors, awaiting for their weapons to be sharpened, reforged, and balanced! You're expected to be there immediately!"

Hiccup frowned. "Please, give me a moment. I only just woke up-"

"That's not my problem." the Slavemaster growled. "Now get up, and report to the Blacksmith!"

"Alright, just let me-"

"NOW!" he bellowed.

Hiccup gave a sigh, standing up on his feet and calmly making his way outside into the streets of the snowy city, but not before putting on his furred cloak.

As he made his way out, the door behind him was instantly shut, and the Slavemaster stood there with his arms crossed, guarding the door.

"Go on…" he growled.

Hiccup wasted no time, not wanting to take another beating out of the countless he had from the buff and angry Viking, and he began making his way through the falling snow, following the dirt road to the Blacksmith.

For nearly all of his life, Hiccup had lived in the harsh land of Scandinavia, not knowing where he truly came from since he was found as a baby. He resided among the Völsung Clan in the Viking city of Kattegat, though unlike most people, Hiccup was raised as a slave; treated as a runt, and overall life never became better for him, especially at the age of fourteen when he began to take beatings...

Soon enough, after the slow and freezing walk from the cottage, he finally arrived at the Blacksmith and saw that there was a line of at least eight Vikings with their weapons in hand.

As he proceeded to make his way in, he could see from the corner of his eye the patrons eyeing him with glares and faces of disappointment.

"Failure." one would say.

"Slave." another would spit out at him.

"...Useless."

Hiccup tried not to mind them, continuing his way forward into the shop, and behind the counter was the only person in his life that had ever respected and been kind to him.

The young man gave a small smile at Hiccup as he made his way in. "Ah, you finally arrived, Hiccup. There are eight warriors in line waiting for their weapons to be worked on. It's great that you came in on good timing."

"Trust me, Magnus, it's not like I wanted to get up this early… as I always do."

The black-haired smithy chuckled. "No worries, you'll get used to it. For now, please help me run the forge. After all, these weapons aren't going to make themselves."

Magnus was twenty five years old, seven years older than Hiccup, and it was seven years ago that they met. Since that moment, they both kept a close watch on each other for years, and eventually they became good friends. When Hiccup turned fourteen Magnus took the younger Viking under his wing as his assistant smithy, though he was unable to _truly_ make him an apprentice or hire him as a smithy...

As Magnus hammered against a blunted weapon, he looked back at the scrawny lad. "So, I assume the Slavemaster woke you up?"

"As usual." replied Hiccup, giving off a yawn.

"And he forced you out?"

"Yep. Also as usual."

The blacksmith sighed, turning his attention back on the weapon he was hammering. "You know, if you wanted, I could speak to the Slavemaster about giving you better shelter. That way you wouldn't have to hear his voice every morning..."

"There's no way in the name of Thor that he would allow me to move into your hut, Magnus." said Hiccup, sharpening a sword against the grinding wheel. "And even if he would allow me, I would still be a waste of space for you."

"Pfft. No you wouldn't." chuckled Magnus. "All I would need to do is find a place for you to sleep, whilst making sure that you wake up on time so that you don't get… well, you know."

"So I wouldn't be a waste of space in your home?" asked Hiccup.

The blacksmith shook his head. "No, of course not."

Hiccup gave a sigh. "Well… I'm going to have to deny. I'm sorry, Magnus, but I just can't. The Slavemaster would begin assuming that you'd be planning to set me free or something, in which he'd grow suspicious of you. You know how he hates to lose a slave."

Magnus shrugged. "Seems reasonable… but anyways, this blade's finished!" he announced loudly, glancing at the hard work he placed into the sword before giving it back to the owner.

The female Viking after inspecting her sword gave a nod, dropping a small satchel of coins onto the counter of the Blacksmith. Then, the next Viking was up. A buff man wearing a metal helmet, along with chain-mail armor. Hiccup assumed it was a guard.

"Blacksmith!" he began. "Is my sword sharpened?"

Magnus gave a cheerful nod. "As sharp as the best there can be! My assistant is making the final touches."

The Viking noticed Hiccup sharpening the blade and he snarled upon sight of seeing him, giving off a glare. "A weapon such as mine does not deserve to be in his hands! Hurry up already, Useless! Finish with it, and don't put your filthy hands on it again!"

Hiccup gave a slim glare back at the man. Although he was a slave, he should at least be given gratitude for giving a fellow Viking a helping hand, and as well as…

Gah, what was he thinking? To him, the Vikings of Kattegat weren't _his_ Vikings, nor his folk, he would never be shown respect from them. He's nothing more than a runt to them.

After finally finishing with sharpening the sword, Hiccup walked up to the counter and set down the blade in front of the man, hilt first. The man picked it up and began inspecting it from tip to hilt.

"Not bad for a slave." he said, before dropping a small satchel of coins on the counter and turning around, ready to walk off.

Hiccup crossed his arms. "Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Immediately he would regret asking that. The man stabbed his sword into the muddy ground and turned around to face the scrawny Viking, proceeding to advance onto Hiccup - only to stop a couple of feet away from him.

The man gave a smile, showing off his disgusting yellow teeth, and then his expression would change from that back into a glare. He raised his right arm and gave a hard backhand to Hiccup's face, sending him falling back to the ground.

"Thanks!" the man said sarcastically, finishing off with; "Runt."

He pulled his sword out from the ground and began walking away in the other direction, while the other Vikings behind him were laughing at Hiccup.

"Hah! Look at how weak this slave is!" one of them laughed, but the charade would not last long as Magnus slammed his fist hard into the wooden counter, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Right, all of you! Either you cut it out or I won't take _any_ of your weapons! Get back in line!" he yelled, and without any words the townsfolk patrons quickly got back into line.

Magnus sighed as he walked up to Hiccup, offering a hand to the scrawny Viking, and he gladly took the older Viking's hand, helping himself up.

"If my father's friend _Gobber_ was here, he would have probably kicked the Thor out of these fools. That is if he's alive, though."

"Eh, don't worry about it." smiled Hiccup. "This place is filled with wild-folk. For me to get kicked or punched in the face isn't anything new."

"Well, if you say so."

He gave Hiccup a pat on the shoulder, making his way back to the counter as he announced loudly; "Who's next in line!?" and the third Viking in line came forward with a weapon in hand.

"A mace?" asked Magnus. "Do you need it rebalanced?"

The woman nodded. "Aye. Took many hits in battle, so I'll need it as good as new."

Magnus looked back at Hiccup. "Very well, I'll have my assistant Hiccup get working on it right away."

Her eyes widened, and she gave a splurt of laughter. "Him? Working on my mace? Absolutely not. I won't allow my mace in the hands of a dirty slave-"

"If you're going to act dirty yourself, then I won't take it." interrupted Magnus, angrily rejecting the mace as he placed he back on the counter. "Despite his status as a slave, he is still the second best smithy in this city, and you mock his natural skill? You know I'm sure there's another smithy out there in the city that'll take your weapon… oh wait, I forgot; there isn't. And even if there was, their skill would not match his, nor _mine._ "

The woman sighed, giving a slim glare at Hiccup and then at Magnus. "Fine, but make it quick!"

Magnus nodded, taking the mace and handing it over to Hiccup. "Make sure to get this weapon rebalanced, and try your best."

Hiccup sighed. "Very well, I'll be right on it."

...

* * *

Hiccup worked for many hours that day, and already it was noon. The heat of the forge had warmed him up to the point where he wasn't shivering as much as he was from the freezing snow, but still the hard work exhausted him.

He silently walked along the dirt road heading towards the city's plaza, looking around at the huts and structures he passed by, though he wasn't too interested in what he saw.

"This city really needs renovation." he said to himself. "Everything looks grey and dull…"

And it was true. Kattegat was not the best thing in the world to Hiccup. It was nothing more than a city of wood, hay, and stone sitting near a large lake located in a frozen wasteland. Though after all, the city did reside in Norway.

As Hiccup continued walking along the road his stomach began to grumble. He hadn't eaten anything in the morning, and hours of working had left him starving of food. "Great…" he sighed.

However, as he made his way into the plaza he spotted a nearby tavern which was to his luck opened. Before entering, he squinted his eyes at the sign that hanged above the door and read the name out loud to himself.

"The… Blade and Daggers Tavern." he quietly said to himself. "Not really my type, but this place should suffice."

After inspecting the outside of the tavern, Hiccup gave a nod and proceeded to make his way towards the door, and he opened it without rush.

Making his way inside, the heat of the nearby torches and hall firepit hit him like water, and quickly he began to warm up. He glanced around and saw that there was decent amount of people in there, at least fifteen or more, and music from the minstrels was being played.

Immediately he then spotted a counter with a tavern-keeper staring at him, and he started making his way to the counter.

As he walked towards it, he looked around and noticed some of the patrons gazing at him with their drinks in hand, either with glares or expressionless looks. He knew well that they knew he was a slave.

Hiccup comfortably sat himself in a chair, finally glancing at the tavern-keeper. They both exchanged looks at first until the keeper asked; "Do you need something, or are you just going to stare?"

Hiccup gave a sigh. "I'll have a roasted mutton, along with a mug of ale."

"Winged mutton or legged?" he asked.

"Legged, please."

The keeper gave a nod. "Horned mug or wooden?"

"Wooden." replied Hiccup.

"That will cost you at least a few silver."

Hiccup nodded as he reached into his cloak, pulling out a small satchel of silver coins which was given to him by Magnus, and he placed it onto the counter.

The keeper raised a brow and proceeded to open the satchel. Once he untied the knot, he flipped the small bag upside down and out from it came a few silver coins, falling directly into his hands.

"Hmph. Well at least you paid, unlike many folk. Surprising that it's from a slave, though." he said, gripping the coins and placing them in a pocket behind his cloak. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Hiccup nodded as the keeper walked off into one of the back-rooms to prepare his meal. He patiently waited, placing his elbows on the counter with his hands grasped together.

All the meanwhile as he waited, the voices of two men from behind suddenly caught his attention. At first, he didn't know what they were talking about, but when he started to focus he began to make out the words that they were saying, and immediately he became interested.

"Did you hear about the recent rumor?" the first Viking whispered.

"No. It's been awhile since I've ever heard one. What's the rumor about?" the second Viking questioned.

"Apparently the folk are saying that there's an Archipelago lying out somewhere in the ocean, home to more Viking tribes."

The second Viking chuckled. "An Archipelago? There are no more lands to the west, brother. And even if there was, I highly doubt these islands would be of more worth to us."

"Who ever said that they were located _west_?" the first Viking asked. "There's more than just tribes up there, brother… people say that the Archipelago is the place where you'll find the Dragons."

The second Viking coughed. "Bah! That stuff on the Nightmares, Nadders, Gronckles and Zipplebacks are nothing more than a myth! A fairy tale!"

"So then why does the idea exist?"

"I don't know! Maybe because some idiot decided to make it up…"

The first Viking sighed. "If you say so... Now, let's get back onto the matter of the recent land dispute…"

Hiccup thought of it for a moment, and a small smile began to spread across his face. He could easily see it: An Archipelago out in the ocean that was filled with tribes that were possibly better than the Völsung Clan, and in that Archipelago there would await a tribe on an island that he could find to call his home.

However, the smile on Hiccup's face would be shortly expressed as it was soon replaced a with a frown. He quickly sighed at the realization.

"If only it existed…" he quietly said to himself.

His attention however was once again taken. He noticed the tavern keeper walking towards him without rush, and in his hands he held a plate of roasted mutton and a wooden mug of ale. Hiccup rubbed his hands and sat straight.

…

* * *

He ate well that afternoon. The leg of mutton and the mug of ale filled his stomach nicely, and though it was at the cost of a few silver coins, it was still worth it, even after a hard day of work.

Hiccup followed the dirt road which led back to his cottage, thinking about nothing more than to rest that day, despite it still being daylight. To him, a head start on his sleeping schedule would be enough for him to restore a good amount of energy for tomorrow.

As he continued making his way down towards the cottage, he noticed that the Slavemaster still stood at the entrance, with his arms crossed and what seemed to be him on the lookout.

Hiccup arched a brow, but continued making his way to the small shelter, despite his thoughts on why the large man was still there.

It wouldn't be long however until the Slavemaster noticed the scrawny Viking coming towards him, and he gave a smile upon seeing his slave approaching him. To Hiccup, something wasn't right.

"Ah, you finally returned, Slave!" the Slavemaster chuckled. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up!"

"Well, this cottage _is_ my home." answered Hiccup. "But what business do you still have here? I've done as you ordered for today."

"Nothing." the Slavemaster smiled. "All that matters is that you arrived in time."

"...In time for what?"

The larger man gave a cackle-like laughter, and immediately his face turned into a glare. "In time for your interrogation." He pulled his arm back, giving a firm and hard punch to the scrawny Viking in the stomach, and Hiccup fell to the ground.

The Slavemaster gave a loud whistle, and from out of nowhere came two guards running towards Hiccup. They grabbed the young Viking by his weak arms and pulled him to his feet.

"Did you really think you could get away with what you did?"

Hiccup looked at him in confusion. "W-What have I done? All I did was go to the Blacksmith and work as you ordered me to! I didn't do anything-!"

He was met with a smack to the face, and he nearly fell back again from the force of the hit. The impact was hard enough to make blood come out of his nose, and Hiccup could feel it dripping slowly down his right nostril.

"Stop lying to me you filthy runt, and admit what you did!" he gnarled at Hiccup. "We know you picked a fight with one of the patrons in line today at the Blacksmith, and this patron was one of our guards! They told us everything that happened!"

Hiccup's face lit up from those words. "Me!? How could _I_ stand up against a guard!? A warrior with greater strength! Please, you have to believe me - whatever they told you is nothing but a lie!"

"That's not how I see it!" exclaimed the larger Viking, giving Hiccup a backhand to the face, lighter than the previous smack. "If words from _me_ won't get the truth out of you, then maybe words from Ivar the Boneless can!"

Hiccup's eyes widened, and he shuddered heavily at that name. 'No... Anyone but him… No!' he thought to himself. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but no words came out, for it was obvious that he was frightened, and the Slavemaster could see it.

The larger Viking knelt to Hiccup's level. "Scared, Useless?" he asked with a chuckle. "Well I hope you're scared. I'm sure you and him are going to have a good talk together."

The Slavemaster stood straight back on his feet, looking at both of the guards with a disgruntled face. "Take him to the Great Hall! Chief Ivar will want to have a word with our Slave!"


	2. Bound By Fear

**Wow. Seeing how much you guys loved the first chapter I decided to go on ahead and make the second chapter, so I hope you enjoy this one!**

 **Also, a thanks to BrawlerGamer, HikariCruz, Isolde of The Night, and Guest for reviewing on the previous chapter.**

 **(Optional to Read) In response to the reviews:**

 **BrawlerGamer: I'm glad you enjoy it!**

 **HikariCruz: I think you know the answer to that - _*Wink*_**

 **Isolde of The Night: Thralls are slaves/serfs during the Viking era, so it wouldn't really matter whether Hiccup is called a slave or a thrall since they're both the same thing** **in this case** **. But** **for future reference I will use thrall as a term for slave as well, so thanks for the advice!**

 **Guest: No worries. There won't be any rape in this story.**

 **Now, without any more delay, let's continue on!**

* * *

The doors bursted open with the loud stomping of boots hitting against the wooden floor, and in came half a dozen guards with two of them dragging a beaten scrawny figure.

Hiccup felt nothing but pain around his body, with the addition of a bloody nose as well as the exhaustion he had from the lack of good sleep and tiresome work. At this point he felt nothing but dread and hopelessness within him.

After being dragged, he suddenly felt himself being sat in a chair, though still he could barely move his head. Then, cold water splashed all over him, and he felt his daze beginning to fade along with his vision beginning to clear up.

"Wake up, scrawny slave. We have much to discuss." called out a voice, though it wasn't entirely clear as Hiccup was still recovering.

He opened his eyes, blinking from the bright lights emanating from the torches all around him, and instantly he knew where he was. He was in the Great Hall, sitting in a chair in the center of the large throne room.

He looked around him and saw three guards on both of his flanks pointing spears at him. There was no way he could get out of there without taking a spear in the chest. However, what caught his attention the most was a young man sitting on the throne in front of him.

"Hmph." he chuckled. "I hope you're going to enjoy staying here for the time being. I mean, after all we do have much to talk about."

Hiccup shuddered upon hearing the voice more clearly, and when his vision finally cleared up he saw the figure who sat in the throne before him.

It was a man, a young Viking who was older than Hiccup but younger than Magnus. He had short dark blonde hair, as well as facial hair that was slightly showing. His clothing consisted of black leather from his tunic to boots along with a fur-hide cloak.

"I-Ivar…" he stuttered, his tone expressing fear.

Ivar gave a smile. "What a pity it is to have a dirty thin thrall like you come to my doorstep after being accused of attacking one of my warriors... that is if there's proof of course."

The younger Viking gave a nervous look. "Chieftain, I swear I did nothing wrong! All I did was perform my daily task at the blacksmith as ordered by the Slavemaster. I never assaulted anyone-!"

"Shut your mouth, slave!" yelled the Slavemaster, backhanding Hiccup across the head. He continued circling the scrawny Viking. "Chief, you don't need to hear the lies coming from this slave. We _have_ the proof to tell that he attacked the guard."

Ivar leaned forward in his chair. "Is that so?" he questioned. "And what is your proof, Slavemaster?"

The large Viking motioned to one of the guards who stood with his sword at ease to step forward, and when the guard stepped out in front of Ivar it was then that Hiccup instantly recognized the buffed man.

"I assume you are the one who was assaulted?" asked Ivar, shifting his position.

The Viking gave a nod. "Yes, Chieftain. I was the one who stood in line today when this runt was sharpening my sword. The fool nearly stabbed me with it!"

Hiccup gave a glare. "What are you even talking about? You're the one who smacked me across the face when I handed you your weapon!"

The guard nearly splurted in laughter. "So what if I hit a slave?" he asked. "They're nothing but property to the Völsung Clan, and you cannot accuse me for hitting you, thrall. You are in no position!"

Hiccup leaned forward in defiance. "But you're still LYING to the Chieftain!" his voice bellowed loudly.

Immediately a hand would pull him back, and once again Hiccup would be met with a smack to the head, this time harder than the last hit as he nearly fell out of his chair from the impact.

The Slavemaster gave a disgruntled look, kneeling down to Hiccup's level. "And who says you have the right to say what is or isn't truth?" asked the large Viking.

Hiccup didn't respond. He once more regretted talking back to someone of higher authority, and after that smack he didn't say another word, knowing that if he said anything stupid then he would just be beaten harder than the last time.

"Hmph." the Slavemaster smirked as he stood back up straight, spinning himself towards Ivar. "Like I said, this slave is nothing but a liar, Chief Ivar. He deserves to be punished for his actions, and deserves the beating of his life!"

Ivar chuckled, giving a quick smile at the Slavemaster. "Is that so?" he asked, and his expression turned back into a serious look. "No. I have something else planned for him…"

The Chieftain turned his gaze towards a nearby guard and he gave him a quick gesture with his hand towards a wooden stool. The Viking nodded and immediately went towards it, picking it up and placing it a couple of feet in front of Hiccup.

Ivar began to slide off his throne, slowly reaching his hand to the wooden floor before he started crawling with his arms - crawling his way towards the stool without rush. After all, he was a cripple. He then reached his hands out and climbed up, making himself comfortable as he sat.

The older Viking spat dry spit to the side before leaning towards Hiccup, and he saw the fear in the scrawny Viking's eyes.

"Why are you scared of a cripple like me, Hiccup? I mean, someone like me would be able to do so little… though after all, I can also do many things others can't."

Hiccup gulped in tension. "Like what?"

Ivar sat straight. "Well…" he began, unsheathing one of his dagger. "When it comes to interrogation, it takes the littlest amount of fear from _me_ to get someone intimidated. You are no different."

He continued sitting there uncomfortably, staring at Ivar who calmly rubbed the flat blade of the dagger against his palm as if he was preparing something.

"Now, I am going to be very clear to you, and I want you to be honest, slave…" At first, his tone sounded very patient to Hiccup. But that was until he once again leaned forward in front of the young Viking's face and shouted loudly;

"TELL THE TRUTH!"

Hiccup was startled back, but he had nothing to say. His voice refused to let out any words, and the only thing that he gave out was a breath of hot air from his mouth and nose. He was now stuck in the cross hairs.

After waiting for some time Hiccup still didn't say a word, and Ivar's face became disgruntled at the young man. "Well then, if you're not going to tell me, then maybe a little pain will motivate you." he grinned, raising the dagger in front of his face. "Where do you want to begin?"

Hiccup's face suddenly lit up as his adrenaline began to rush. Still no words had come out of him, and his breathing had begun to intensify. It was clear that Ivar had frightened him to the point where he would've started screaming for help, but in a situation like this Hiccup was useless.

The young Chieftain arched a brow. "Oh, so you're leaving it up to me to decide?" he questioned, finally pointing the tip of the dagger towards Hiccup. "I see, then let us begin."

With his rough hand Ivar grabbed onto Hiccup's jaw, forcing it opened to expose the inside of his mouth, and it was then at that moment that Hiccup found the voice to scream as the dagger began to advance into his mouth.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall busted open, and to Hiccup's surprise Ivar pulled back the dagger from his mouth as his attention was turned upon two figures who came walking in.

Hiccup turned around, and to his great relief he saw Magnus standing by the doors with a young woman who appeared to be the smithy's age. Her hair was brunette, and her skin was a lighter tone than Hiccup's. He assumed that it was another friend of Magnus.

Ivar gave a small smile to the blacksmith. "Ah, Magnus. Have you come to witness the torture of your lying assistant?"

Magnus shook his head, and with a loud voice he announced to Ivar; "I have come to prove the innocence of my assistant - Hiccup."

The young Chieftain's smile faded, and his eyes widened. "...W-What?" he asked in a confused tone. "I'm not sure I heard you properly, Magnus."

"Oh you did, Chief Ivar." the Blacksmith nodded. "Unless you would like me to repeat that again?" He cleared his throat, putting his hands up to his mouth to speak louder.

"I have COME. To PROVE. The INNOCENCE of my assistant, Hiccup!"

The Slavemaster snarled. "The only thing there is to prove is that he's guilty and deserves nothing but punishment from our Chieftain."

Magnus' friend stepped forward, laughing at the large Viking's words. "Careful now, we don't want blood on that pretty blanket of a cloak you wear." she mocked.

"How DARE YOU! I'LL SLICE YOUR TONGUE OUT FOR THAT!" the large Viking bellowed as laughter from the guards towards the Slavemaster filled the room.

Ivar immediately raised his hand up. "Silence!" he called out, and quickly the room was ceased of all voices.

He leaned forward, focusing his eyes on the older twenty five year old Viking. "What proof do you have to tell that this slave, this… thrall is innocent? Why do you even trust him?"

"Because he is my assistant." answered Magnus. "And regardless of his status as a slave, I saw the whole thing that transpired at my shop today. I speak as a witness."

The Chieftain crossed his arms. "So then what happened?"

"This guard was never assaulted by Hiccup. The only thing my assistant did was sharpen his sword before asking; 'Aren't you going to say thank you?' and in response, the guard stabbed his sword into the ground before he went up to my assistant and smacked him to the ground. Is that enough proof for you, or shall I tell you again but more detailed?"

The guard growled at Magnus, realizing he'd been exposed. "You're a liar, smithy! A liar!" he shouted, turning his head to Ivar. "Chieftain, you can't possibly trust the words of a simple blacksmith!"

"Simple?" chuckled Magnus. "You're but a guard! All you do is walk around Kattegat doing as you please whilst I forge the weapons that arm YOU and your warriors."

"I patrol around Kattegat, peasant!" the guard shot back. "I go around making sure our clan is safe from our enemies, and anyone who seeks to cause trouble like your slave-assistant!"

Ivar remained silent. He was put in deep thinking as he contemplated whether he should believe Magnus or view him as a liar. Despite him being the most ruthless Viking the Vikings have ever seen, he was still an expert when it came to thinking as he strategized cunningly and boldly - especially when it came to situations like this.

"Hiccup may be a slave to you, but to me he will always be _my_ assistant. Something you don't have, muttonhead."

The guard lowered his brows further down. "Bah! I don't need a dirty runt to do my work for me, unlike you who needs an assistant because you are not good enough your job!"

Ivar looked up at the guard. "And who are you to judge a blacksmith who has more brains and skill than you, in crafting and fighting?" he asked with a glare. "It is clear to me that your story lacks the details of accusing this slave. Unlike you, warrior, Magnus here has evidence given to him by voice, and through witnessing - therefore, I've made my decision."

He turned to Hiccup. His face looking disgruntled with a glare still stuck to it. The young Viking bit his lip hoping that he wouldn't be accused guilty.

"Gah, I can't believe I'm doing this..." grumbled Ivar, his tone still filled with anger. But it was then when he spoke that Hiccup was filled with heavy relief as he heard the two words come out from Ivar's mouth;

"Release him."

…

* * *

Hiccup laid his head against the wall, sitting comfortably in a chair. In his hands he held a mug of water and a wet sheet of cloth to put against the few bruises that were on his face.

"I don't know how I can thank you, Magnus." he smiled at the older Viking. "Were it not for you, my mouth would've looked as ugly as the Slavemaster."

Magnus knelt down to his level and placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Well, it wasn't me alone." he said. "When I saw the Slavemaster take you away I asked my friend here to help me with saving you. She is one of my most trusted… Hiccup, meet Eira. Eira, meet Hiccup."

The two of them reached out to shake hands. "It is nice to meet you." she said with a small smile, and Hiccup gave a nod. "Know that even though you're a slave - a thrall, I am not one to treat you with disrespect, even after Magnus told me what they were going to do to you. So know that you have my full respect, Hiccup."

Hiccup gave a slim grin, knowing that there was now someone else who would be as kind to him as Magnus was, and his expression showed that he really appreciated Eira's words.

"Thank you, Eira. You don't know how much that means to me." he said.

"Well, from one friend you make another. That's what friends are for after all."

"Aye." said Magnus, standing back up straight as he made his way towards a barrel of ale. He grabbed a mug and began to fill it. "All I can say is that I'm going to restrict that guard's actions if he comes by again, along with any who come by as well."

Hiccup arched a brow. "Won't Ivar disapprove of that?"

"Ivar the Boneless may be a foolish child in my eyes, but sometimes he knows how to think. He has his father's intelligence."

"Yeah, and he definitely knows how to scare someone just by looking at them with his face."

Magnus gave a hearty chuckle. "Well they call him the most ruthless Viking ever to walk for a reason. But it's quite a weird thing to say considering that he is a cripple."

Eira nodded in agreement. "Mhm. And for him being ruthless, all he likes to do for sport is fight, fight, and fight. He is a bloody war-mongerer, and so are many of the Vikings of Kattegat."

A sigh came from Hiccup as he looked off into the distance, almost as if he was thinking or day-dreaming. "Well, maybe there's a place out there where peace can reside. Somewhere where all Vikings can have respect for one another."

"If only there was. Vikings have been known to fight and kill each other for centuries." responded Magnus, sipping from his ale. His eyes were locked onto Hiccup. "And besides, even if there was, where would you suppose it would be?"

"Well…" he began. "Earlier today I went to the Blade and Daggers Tavern to fill my stomach, and there I eavesdropped on two patrons who were discussing about a spreading rumor. On how there was an Archipelago somewhere out in the ocean; a set of islands with more Viking tribes. They even said that's where you'll find Dragons."

"What, you mean those winged-creatures read in those fairy tale stories to children? About Monstrous Nightmares, Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, and Zipplebacks?"

Hiccup gave a nod and Magnus and Eira looked at each other, exchanging looks. At first, Magnus splurted, trying not to laugh as he drank, and then it quickly escalated as the two older Vikings began to laugh.

"Are… are you serious, Hiccup? There's a RUMOR about a non-existent land existing?"

"Yep."

The two began laughing harder as Hiccup sat there gazing at them, waiting for them to settle down, and eventually they did.

"Oh, I could go on laughing forever." chuckled Eira, and her glance then turned upon younger Viking. "But Hiccup, you have to understand that rumors don't tend to always be true, and most of the time they aren't. There are no more lands that are near us out at sea aside England which was attacked for years by Vikings. There is no Archipelago."

Hiccup's face turned into a frown of disappointment. Once again his realization hit him, knowing to himself that he was right when he said to himself back at the tavern 'If only it existed…' and it seemed now his hopes had died down.

Magnus however noticed his thoughts being expressed. He understood much of the pain Hiccup had gone through because he witnessed it first hand when he saw him being beaten and abused. All the young Viking wanted was his freedom.

Hiccup took a quick sip from his mug and looked outside the nearby window. He noticed that the daylight was getting darker, which meant that the sun was ready to go down over the horizon.

He stood from his chair and stretched himself out, proceeding to place the mug and sheet of cloth on the long-table. "I'd better get back to my cottage." he said. "It's getting late, and I want to get a good rest for tomorrow. Not to mention I don't want to have Slavemaster on my tail."

Magnus nodded. "If you must, then you must. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Aye." responded Hiccup. "Thanks for your help by the way, and for all the care." he said cheerfully, putting on his cloak before he opened the door and waved to them.

They waved back to him, and as Hiccup made his way out Magnus placed his fist to his cheek, putting himself in deep thought on the choosing of his words to the younger lad. This didn't go unnoticed however as Eira's gaze turned upon him.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Magnus gave a sigh. "Maybe I should've told him…"


	3. A Plan Unveiled

**Right, before beginning I'd like to say that this chapter will be shorter than 1 and 2, so my apologies to anyone who expected a chapter as long as the previous two. HOWEVER, this chapter will probably give you more suspense than the last chapter once you see what goes down!**

 **Also, thanks to BrawlerGamer, HikariCruz, and Guest for reviewing on the previous chapter!**

 **(Optional to Read) In response to the reviews that caught my attention:**

 **Guest: As in: Are Hiccup and Astrid going to be a couple/thing? Of course!**

 **HikariCruz: What Magnus has in mind relates to the rumor. You'll see probably in the next chapter.**

 **Now lastly, this is more of a response to everyone who is wondering and asking me: "Why are Hiccup and Stoick separate? And how did Hiccup end up in Norway?" - My hint to you guys is that the answer is _"flying"_ right in front of you. *Wink***

 **Anyways! Without further ado, let's continue on with our story!**

* * *

For the rest of the night Hiccup was unable to fall back asleep. His early rest was well enough to where he had awoken a couple of hours before sunrise, and during that time he laid down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Hiccup's mind was taken away in deep contemplation, still on the thought of an Archipelago being out there somewhere. However, his mind was split in two.

One part would say; 'It isn't out there. It's just a myth - a rumor! A fairytale land of islands! Just forget about it!'

Then another part would respond; 'It _is_ out there. It has to be! It's your only chance of escape, your only chance for freedom. You should pursue it!'

And the cycle continued going. No matter how hard he tried to forget about the whole thing and switch his mind to something else, it just kept coming back, almost as if it was calling to him - and as it continued up in his mind he began to get frustrated.

"Gah!" he gasped. "Why can't I just make up my mind? If the rumor of this Archipelago doesn't clear up from my head soon then my brain will be going crazy!

He then gave a soft sigh, shifting himself to face the right side of his bed. "Sometimes, I wish that there was an easier way for me to think better than like _this_." he whispered to himself. "A way for me to-"

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. One that sounded large and loud to Hiccup - almost as if the person behind the door was angry.

Hiccup immediately became suspicious. He arched a brow as his gaze was fixed on the door. "Who would be knocking at a time like this?" he asked himself, and then came two more loud knocks at the door.

With his suspicion getting the better of him, Hiccup stood from his bed slowly and made his way over to the nearby fire-pit that laid in the center of his one-roomed cottage. He grabbed the sharp metal poker and tip-toed his way over to the door.

As he was walking, the wood beneath his feet squeaked with every step, even when he tried to move as slowly and quietly as he could, and by the time he was a couple feet away from the door he began to believe that the knocking stopped.

He was wrong. Three more knocks banged on the door louder than before, and this nearly startled him to where he nearly blew his cover. Thankfully, whoever was there didn't hear him.

Hiccup was finally at the door, tempted to open it whilst being ready to defend himself. However, something caught his attention as he looked down to the crack of the door. He saw a pair of two large feet being emanated by torch fire, so there was definitely someone still standing there - though they wouldn't be there for long.

"Hmph. He must be asleep. Good…" chuckled a brutish voice on the other side.

Soon enough the two feet began turning in the other direction, and the torch light from beneath the crack of the door began to fade as the sound of steps became more distant.

Hiccup took this chance and peaked open the door to look outside, and outside he saw someone he didn't expect: The Slavemaster was walking along the dirt road with a torch in hand, looking very suspicious.

Hiccup squinted his eyes. "Strange…" he quietly said to himself. "What's the Slavemaster doing up at this hour? Usually he's asleep until sunrise."

The large Viking kept walking, looking back on occasion in case he was being followed. It was then that Hiccup's curiosity got the best of him. He quickly ran to his long-table and proceeded to put on his cloak, still holding the poker in hand.

He then ran to the door and made his way outside into the snowy night, and in the distance he watched as the light of the Slavemaster's torch reflected off a hut as he went down the dirt road leading to the plaza.

The young Viking wasted no time and began following it as silently as he could, all the meanwhile keeping a safe cover and distance away from the light, hiding behind nearby objects.

Going through the streets and dirt roads of Kattegat, Hiccup began to notice the strange way that the Slavemaster took as he continued walking to gods-know-where. One moment the larger Viking would be going down a wide road to one of the main areas in Kattegat, then the other moment it would be down a narrow passage and back onto the dirt roads.

But as time moved on and Hiccup continued following him, the Slavemaster eventually made a stop near a brazier that sat next to an unoccupied watch tower, and it was there that he didn't make another move.

Hiccup waited, hiding behind a bush as he watched to see if something would happen, not bothered by the cold as he was too focused. He still held his poker in hand in case anyone or anything would attack him, in which he'd strike back as an act of defense.

It was then that he spotted movement coming from his left and right directions. Torches began emanating from both ways as four figures came closer and closer to brazier, and eventually they were revealed to be four guards - none of them Hiccup recognized.

Hiccup muffled his breath, giving off a concern look. "What is he up to?" he quietly said to himself.

The Slavemaster glared at the four guards. "You might be wondering why I called you here." he began. "Well if you want to know, then hear me out now... That thrall Hiccup has been a thorn in my backside for years. A thorn in all of our backsides! He's done nothing but cause trouble for us, and I believe it's time that we handle him… properly."

Hiccup's face lit up. 'The only trouble that's caused around here comes from him, that lying pig...' he thought to himself. 'Even after I was found innocent, he still lies? Gah, what are with these folk?'

Continuing to eavesdrop on the Slavemaster and four guards, one of the warriors asked; "So what do you want us to do about it?"

The larger Viking grinned. "When the morning horn blows, he will wake up as usual and make his way down towards the Blacksmith. He will be working from morning until noon, and then he'll retire for the day to do what he pleases. During that time, head to his cottage located up the hill near the Blacksmith and prepare an ambush outside it."

"What do you want us to do when we have him, sir?" asked another guard.

"I'll be waiting here when you capture him upon his return, and once I have him in my grasp - he will never see the light of day ever again as I give him the beating of his life before I torture him to his death..."

Hiccup gasped at the large man's word. He began to feel fear running through his gut. 'I- I need to get out of here. Magnus must know about this…' he thought to himself.

He slowly began to back up, and once again he made a move which he would immediately regret. With the simple snap of a twig he grabbed the guards' attention.

One of them squinted their eyes. "What was that?" he asked, and another guard widened his. "I think I see someone hiding! We're being watched!"

Hiccup blew his own cover. In a moment of panic he turned around so that only his cloak was in their view, and then he began running for his life.

The Slavemaster gnarled. "AFTER THEM!" he bellowed.

As Hiccup ran he could hear the distant sound of four pairs of footsteps sprinting towards him from behind. His adrenaline had now begun rushing faster than ever, causing him to run faster.

To gain the advantage of staying ahead he took quick and narrow passages that laid in between huts, cutting off the guards from catching up to him. Surprisingly, this worked very well in Hiccup's favor, and he still kept running faster and faster.

Eventually his chase came to a stop in the plaza when he ran into a pile of furs, as well as bear and wolf hides that were gathered in the center of the empty area, all of which were recently imported.

By this point however, he couldn't continue running. His lungs fell short of air and his legs lacked the strength to continue running as they were now tired from moving.

However, his panic soon escalated as four lights emanating from four distant torches came into view, coming towards him in all directions. North, East, West, and South.

"They went this way, I'm sure of it!" called out one of the guards.

Hiccup's breathing intensified. He began looking around to see if there was anything he could hide in, and to his luck he spotted a crate that seemed to be his size to fit in.

He quickly rushed over and opened it, throwing out all of the hides that were piled up before jumping in and closing it, placing his cloak over him to provide further cover for himself.

Through the cracks he could see the lights of the guards' torches come into view. They were right next to the pile as they were gazing around for their runner. Gazing around for Hiccup.

"They outran us!" one of them grunted.

The guard captain gave a chuckle. "Or maybe they're hiding in that pile of hides and furs." he pointed out as he unsheathed his sword. "Search the pile, and the crates. Find our runner." ordered the captain.

The sound of three weapons unsheathing soon followed, and the guards began hacking their way through with their weapons. All the meanwhile Hiccup sat there with his arms and legs shaking, afraid he may've already been caught.

"Just hides in this crate!" said one of the guards.

"Same here!" called out another.

"Fur in this one! …Which leaves the question. What about the remaining crate?"

The captain gave a grin. "Check in there!"

The guard next to him gave a nod as he slowly began approaching it with his axe in hand. This was it, it was either hide, or be caught and be slaughtered. Hiccup used his free hand and raised the furred-cloak he wore up to camouflage him, and after a moment of waiting the cover to the crate finally opened.

The Viking gave an arched brow, looking down on what he saw before him.

Fur.

He slammed the cover shut, looking back at his fellow warriors. "There's no one here, sir!" he said.

The guard captain grunted. "We'll just have to split up. You two, split up and head towards the docks. You, you're with me. We'll check the taverns to see if anyone saw anything."

The guards exchanged nods before walking off into the opposite directions whilst Hiccup sat there as he waited in the dark. He sat there for about a couple of minutes before climbing out of the crate and closing it, quickly and quietly. The young Viking looked all around him, and the guards were nowhere in sight. The coast was now clear, and he ran out of there.

All the while at the top his mind, the one place he could think about to go to was Magnus' hut. It was the only safe place in Kattegat for him right now, and he had to tell him that the Slavemaster was coming for his head.

...

* * *

Hiccup ran past the Blacksmith and raced up the hill towards Magnus' hut. He reached the door as he was out of breath and he began to knock fast against it as loud as he could, waiting and hoping that his friend would answer…

And surely enough he did.

Magnus opened the door, looking at his assistant with a concerned face. Hiccup assumed that he'd been awake for sometime since it seemed that he was already well dressed, but that to him was besides the point.

"Hiccup?" said Magnus in a concerned tone. "What are you doing here so early? It isn't even daylight yet. Has something happened-?"

"The Slavemaster." he began. "He wants my head!"

Magnus gasped, raising a brow. "...What? You mean he wants to-"

"Yes! He wants to kill me!"

The blacksmith looked over his assistant's shoulder, making sure no one was watching them, and then he pulled Hiccup inside his hut. "Come inside, quick!"

The door instantly shut, and Hiccup was guided over to a chair by the long-table for him to sit in. He tossed aside the poker and placed it next to him on the table before removing his cloak and making himself comfortable. Then his gaze fell upon Magnus.

"I heard everything, Magnus." said Hiccup as he shuddered. "I heard his plan on the way he wants to execute me, all through an act of brutality..." He gave a sigh. "Other guards are involved with capturing me."

The older Viking stared at Hiccup with a worried face. "I can't let it go this way." he said, his tone filled with slight anger. "I won't leave you unprotected."

Magnus rushed towards his weapon rack and picked up his sword, placing it around his waist sheathed as he proceeded to put on his cloak. "Stay here, and don't make a move. Don't. Leave. This. Hut."

Hiccup made a curious look. "But where are you going?"

"Eira needs to hear about this." he sighed. "I won't allow this to go unpunished, and I don't care if Ivar the Boneless takes my life after my blade runs the Slavemaster through for protecting another life… just stay here, I'll return as soon as I can."

Magnus proceeded to rush out as he quickly opened and closed the door to his hut, running out into the cold with his hand still holding on to the hilt of his sword.

…

* * *

Eira and Magnus sat in front of Hiccup as he explained the whole story to them. He eavesdropped on the Slavemaster who revealed his plan out loud, which was to ambush him, drag him to the place he met with the guards, and then kill him through beating and torture, and to this both of the Vikings began to show signs of disgust.

"That sick bastard…" growled Eira. "If I was ever his thrall, I would choke him until his lungs would pop out of his chest."

Hiccup nodded in agreement. "I would too. But right now it's _my life_ that's hanging on the edge of a rope, and if I don't cut it soon - if that pig gets away with it and reaches me, then that rope will squeeze tight around my neck."

"And we won't allow him to reach you." responded Magnus. "You'll be staying in my hut under my protection, and I don't give a damn if the Slavemaster rejects it. Once I've gone to the Blacksmith…" He stopped for a moment, changing his gaze towards Eira.

"Eira, I need you to protect Hiccup while I'm gone. If we leave him here all alone then he'll just be vulnerable to that pig. Please do this for him. For me."

Eira gave a small smile and nodded, patting his shoulder. "I won't leave Hiccup's side, Magnus." she replied. "If that fat runt shows up to us then the first thing he and his friends will meet will be the blade from my sword."

The blacksmith sighed with relief. "I knew I could count on you. Thank you, Eira."

"Hey, that's what friends are for-"

The horn outside suddenly blew loudly. Hiccup moved his gaze onto the nearby window as he looked outside, watching as the light of day slowly began to rise over the horizon behind the clouds. He then switched his glance over to Eira and Magnus. "I guess time flies by fast when you're having a conversation."

Magnus nodded. "Aye… it seems I best that I be on my way, and when I return we will strategize a plan on how we're going to take on the guards, and probably the Slavemaster. I may have a few tricks up my sleeve…"

"And then what?" asked Hiccup just as the older Viking was about to make his way out the door. He looked back at Hiccup and gave him a hinting wink.

"Then there will be something that I'm going to give you before we move onto the next step. And trust me when I say this: You're going to need it."


	4. Preventing The Ambush

**Before starting, firstly, I'd like to point out that there will be more scenes in this chapter, but they will also be shorter. It's something I'm not worried about, I just wanted to remind you guys before beginning.**

 **Secondly, this chapter will focus a bit more around Magnus due to what he's going to do in this one, and after you finish reading this, begin to consider how he was from Chapter 1 to how he is now when he's trying to protect Hiccup. So consider this to be Magnus' own chapter.**

 **Lastly, a thanks to AngelofTheNight and HikariCruz for reviewing on the previous chapter, and an extensive thanks to everyone for the support! This story is already at 1.2 thousand views, and we're only 4 chapters in! So thank you!**

 **Now, without anymore moments to waste, let's begin!**

* * *

Magnus held the dull axe firm against the grinding wheel. For hours he'd been working in the Blacksmith going through swords, axes, and maces. The line that day was also faster than usual, which to him was surprising since he was working without Hiccup.

But as he continued to sharpen the weapon he slowly began to lose focus through his thoughts as his mind was set more on the current situation between the Slavemaster and Hiccup. He never anticipated that it would rise to this level, and even so he still wanted to desperately get back to his hut as soon as possible.

However, because of his loss of focus - he nearly didn't notice that his remaining patron was trying to speak to him, and it took the man a third time to get the smithy's attention. "HEY! Are you finished with my axe yet, or what?"

Magnus rapidly shook his head to get out of his thoughts, and he raised a finger up. "Wait one moment. It's nearly… finished!"

He held the axe up in front of him, inspecting the work he placed into it before walking towards the counter and placing it in front of the Viking, hilt first.

The man picked it up and took a glance, giving a nod of approval before sheathing it and dropping a pouch filled with silver coins onto the counter - but from this Magnus arched a brow. Picking it up, he felt that it was heavier than the usual payment.

He opened it up and out came twenty silver coins, to which he looked back at the patron and called out; "Hey! You overpaid, lad!" But there was no response, the man still kept walking.

He gave a sigh, clearing his throat as he went to put out the forge's fire. He wrapped his sheathed weapon back around his waist and went to put on his furred cloak, before proceeding to lock the doors to the Blacksmith and close up, making his way back up the hill to his hut.

"Hiccup and Eira may need to know about what I learned…" he said to himself.

…

* * *

Hiccup sat once more with the two Vikings around the long-table, discussing a very important matter from Magnus' experience at the Forge that day, and though it was without incident, he spotted very strange activity from some of his patrons.

"The main thing that caught my attention were these four guards that approached as a group." he said. "For some reason they each wanted their weapons sharpened."

Eira placed a fist under her chin. "Did you ask what it was for?"

"All they said was that it was for practice, though I highly doubted their words. I mean, you don't even need a sharpened blade for training against another allied combatant."

"Well to me it sounds just like those guards who want to ambush me." Hiccup added on. "It was four of them who chased me, and I remember that one of them was a captain wearing no helmet."

Magnus nodded with a light sigh. "One the guard patrons wasn't wear a helmet either, so I assume that those were the four who plan to ambush you. Well, it's a good thing I did a poor job with sharpening their weapons. They won't be able to strike down horses with those things."

"I find it foolish that they came to you." replied Hiccup. "The Slavemaster instructed them to set an ambush after I left my cottage, though it seemed that they wanted to give me more than just a beating by sharpening their weapons and… well, it's too bad for them now."

"Regardless." began Eira. "We need to catch them by surprise… you said you had a plan, Magnus?"

"Aye." he said, standing up from his seat and making his way towards the weapon rack by the door as he started to shuffle through the weapons, eventually picking something out of it. "Hiccup, come here."

The young Viking raised a brow and stood up, walking over to Magnus who seemed to be holding something with both his hands. He then turned around, and in his hands he held a sword.

"Here." he said. "This sword seems to be your fit."

Hiccup eyed the smithy, slowly leaning his hands out to reach for the sword, and Magnus in return calmly placed the blade in the eighteen year old's hands. With ease, Hiccup was able to carry the sword as if it was as light as a plank of wood.

"It's… very light." complemented Hiccup.

Magnus gave a hearty chuckle. "My father made this for me when I was younger." he said. "The blade itself is made of a very light and strong iron which to this day remains unnamed, and the blue fabric around the sword will make your grip more comfortable… I decided that I should pass it on to you. I know you're more than capable of wielding a sword."

Hiccup's eyes slightly widened. "W- Wow." he stuttered. "I don't know what to say… thanks, Magnus."

He nodded. "But remember; with this sword in your possession, it is your best friend in fighting. Use it for good, not for your own intentions. And of course, keep it close to you. You don't know if one day someone will take it and-"

Before he could finish, a sudden knock came at the door and everyone in the room immediately froze, exchanging glances. Then, both Magnus and Eira's gaze fell upon Hiccup.

"Hide." whispered Magnus. "And keep your blade ready."

The young Viking quickly nodded as he rushed to hide under the long-table, with Eira giving him cover by standing in front of him while her hand was gripped onto her sheathed sword.

With no time to waste, Magnus approached the door and opened it, and on the other side there was a guard. A guard which the smithy instant recognized as he was one the warriors that came to his Blacksmith.

His tone sounded disgruntled. "Hey blacksmith! What have you done to my weapon? It's as dull as a kitchen knife!"

Magnus gave an unnoticeable smile at the corner of his lips before replying; "I… I don't know what you're talking about, warrior. I did what I could with your _fine_ weapon."

"Don't play stupid with me!" he growled. "I know you purposely didn't sharpen my axe for a reason, and I want to know why - so don't waste my time, because right now you're messing with a warrior!"

"Alright." he began. "You need a reason? Then tell me this; why do you need a sharpened weapon for training? You can practice with swords and axes as dull as a stick, and nothing will change."

"I never said I was training." the warrior responded stupidly.

"...Yeeees you did, you said so yourself along with your fellow warriors."

"Well, we were lying!" he replied. "We are… doing… uhh, something else more important!"

Now the smirk on Magnus was starting to show. "Like what? Prepare for an ambush on a slave?"

"Yes! -I mean, no! No no no no, we- ...Uh…"

Magnus arched a brow, motioning to Eira to let Hiccup come out, knowing at that moment that the guard was caught red handed for admitting it, and he gave out a growl to the blacksmith, but mostly to Hiccup. "You damned thrall! You told them!"

"Yes, he did." answered Magnus. "And you're not returning to the Slavemaster to tell the tale."

Immediately he pulled his arm back and gave a firm punch to the guard in the face before pulling him into the hut and closing the door behind him. From outside, all that could be heard were a pair of two blades cutting at the guard as his voice screamed with a muffle.

…

* * *

Hiccup stared out the window, looking at the sun set behind the clouds. The day had gone by quickly, and with night coming it was no doubt that the guards were already waiting for him to come so they could ambush him, though by this point he wasn't afraid now that he had a weapon in hand.

Magnus and Eira came back from upstairs where they hid the lifeless body of the guard, and the two finished washing off the blood from when they stabbed him through the chest again and again. "That was quite the bloodbath." said Magnus.

"Well, at least it's one guard less, which leaves three left - one for each of us." replied Eira.

Hiccup turned his head around and looked back at them. "I don't think I'm actually ready to fight, guys." he said. "This sword - I only know how to use in my defense, though on the offense-"

"The blade will cut through those guards like butter, and it won't even be much of a fight." replied Magnus. "That's why I gave you this valuable possession, Hiccup. Deep down I know that you're more suit for it than I ever was."

"Okay…" he replied to the smithy. "But after we're done dealing with them, what's going to happen next? Are we going to just go after the Slavemaster and kill him? Ivar will-"

"Ivar will come after us, that is for certain - but that doesn't mean I'll stand and fight to protect you until my last breath. After all, this dump of a city has nothing left for me."

"But if you die, how will I escape?"

Eira stepped forward. "By sea." she said. "I own a private longship that I use whenever I go fishing, but I only use it on occasion and I'm starting to see not much use for it aside just sailing."

"And where will I go? Out to sea to search for the rumored Archipelago?"

From those words, a grin began to form on Magnus' face, and when Hiccup noticed it his eyes immediately widened as his face lit up.

"Maybe I should've told you the truth about that before you left my hut the day we rescued you…"

…

* * *

Night time had now fallen. The citizens of Kattegat were well indoors by this point, sleeping or doing their own things while civilization outside in the city had gone down to where there was little to no noise, aside the torches, braziers, farming animals, and blowing snow. Because of this, Hiccup and the others saw this as an opportunity to make a move and deal with the Slavemaster's men.

Outside the cottage the two guards approached their captain who had been waiting. His arms were crossed, and his face looked disgruntled as he eyed them.

"Where's Hröd!?" questioned the captain. "You sent him out to Magnus' hut hours ago, and now all of a sudden you can't FIND him!?"

"There's no one in the hut, sir!" replied one of the guards. "Maybe he got lost or something?"

The captain splurted. "A guard cannot get lost in Kattegat! They're supposed to know every single road, every hut, and every damned part of this city!"

Hiccup, Magnus and Eira stood by as they watched the captain yell at his men. Before they left they strategized how they were going to play out their plan on the guards, and seemed that they were in a perfect position. Now was the time to take action.

The captain sighed. "...Did you even tell Hröd where Magnus' hut was?"

"Yes, sir! It was that way where the Blacksmith was, only it was up that hill. I swear, sir, I don't know where Hröd is-"

Suddenly there was a distant pair of footsteps coming from behind along the road. The three turned their heads and saw the shadow of a cloaked figure walking towards them, and to this the captain grinned. "There's the thrall…" he whispered.

He then gestured the two guards with his hands to take positions, and quickly they rushed to hide behind the nearby bushes that stood next to the cottage. The captain however didn't make a move, instead he stood at the door with his arms crossed, waiting.

When the cloaked figure finally came into view and slowly approached - he gave a smile at them. "Ah, it's the runt." he said. "You know, the Slavemaster has told me all about you, and he said that he wished to… make your life easier."

They didn't respond to the man, instead they just stood there with their cloak wrapped around and their hood raised. But the captain still continued to talk to them.

"He said that he knows a way to make you treated more of a person and less of a thrall. Wouldn't you want that?" he asked, but once again they didn't respond. This caused him to begin getting more disgruntled as a slim glare started to show on his face. So, he tried asking again.

"I said wouldn't you LIKE that?"

"...No." responded a female voice as the figure gave a hard punch to the captain in the stomach, and he fell back against the door of the cottage. The figure removed her hood, revealing it to be Eira as she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the captain.

He growled at the scrawny-looking young woman. "GET HER!"

From the bushes the two Vikings came rushing out to charge her. However, from the distance a blade came flying out of nowhere, and it struck the guard on Eira's right flank. Then, just as the second guard on her left was about to strike her, a scrawny figure came running at him and sliced against his right arm.

The slash which Hiccup intended to give to the tall Viking turned out to be more than just a mere cut as he roared in pain from the deep gouge. He turned to face the young Viking who held a sword in his hands, and from this the warrior widened his eyes with surprise.

"You!?" he questioned angrily. "How dare you take up arms against a guard, slave! Ivar and the Slavemaster will know about this!"

Hiccup grinned. "Not unless you live to tell them." he taunted. Then, in an act of fury the guard raised his axe up and attempted to bring it down onto the scrawny Viking, but Hiccup struck back with a very firm strike as he made an upward diagonal swing with his sword on the blade of the axe. What followed was the sound of metal breaking and shattering.

The guard looked at his axe… or well, whatever remained of it and he tossed it aside, raising his hands up in the air in surrender.

Hiccup glanced at his sword. In his lifetime he never wielded one, nor did he know how to properly use one - and yet here he was standing up against a guard after shattering an axe using the little skill he knew along with the strength he had. Magnus was right when he said it was a strong weapon.

After breaking the large Viking's weapon he pointed his sword up at his neck and gestured him to sit down next to his captain, and the guard with no other choice did as he was told.

The two young adults sheathed their weapons, and Magnus came out of the shadows, kneeling down to the captain's level.

"Now." he began. "I want you to know before I question you that the two other guards lie dead. One of them who came to my hut was sliced apart, and the other lies next to you with his miserable body impaled into my blade, so if you try anything tricky then you two will be next."

The guard next to the captain looked up at him. "Piss off, smithy!" he spat.

"Bad choice of words." replied Magnus, and he unsheathed one of his daggers from around his waist and quickly slit the throat of the guard, giving him a quick and quiet end as he washed off the blood.

He looked back at the captain. "Now, this is the part where I ask you one simple question: Why does the Slavemaster want Hiccup dead?"

The captain chuckled. "Because he wants to. It's not like the slave is worth anything to him." he replied. "Why waste bothering and looking over him when we can just kill him and lift a burden off our shoulders? After all, the Slavemaster's intentions aren't just his own."

Magnus arched a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"...There's someone else." he replied. "Someone else shares the same desires as him, and someone ordered him to do it… and gladly he accepted."

"So someone else ordered the Slavemaster to kill me…" finished Hiccup. "This all makes sense so far. But the knowledge on who it is still a mystery, and the reason why makes no sense."

"Here's a reason: it's because we don't need you! All of us don't need you, slave! You should just go rot and die in a hole where we'll never need to hear from you again!"

"You may not need him." growled Magnus. "But I do… Anyways, I would like to thank you for giving us all that we needed to know, and now you shall be rewarded."

He looked back at Eira as he held the dagger by the blade, handing it over to her. "He's all yours."

…

* * *

The Slavemaster stood by the brazier near the watchtower from the previous night, waiting for the guards to show up. He held his hands together, grasping them as he raised them over the flaming heat source. The snow blew hard in his face, and for hours he'd been waiting for them. With every minute going by his anger rose.

He gave off a growl as he began speaking to himself. "It's been three hours. How long does it take for them to capture a single runt? ... Something isn't right."

As he was about to go wandering off - the sound of galloping caught his attention. From the distance his gaze was set upon a horse being ridden by a manly cloaked figure who held a bag in his hands. The horse whined as he raised it up, before throwing it down towards the large Viking, and then he rode off without saying anything.

At first the Slavemaster rushed towards the stranger, but by the time he did they were already long gone. His eyes then shifted onto the bag.

He leaned down towards it and noticed a note stringed onto it. The note was written in parchment and charcoal, but it also had a small stain of blood at the corner of it. What he read was;

" _Stop trying to go after him,"_

" _Or else I will come after you next…"_

He arched a brow, but his curiosity took over and slowly he began to open it up, expecting that perhaps the bag was filled with a valuable to bribe him off, but that would not be the case.

Instead, what he was met with was the head of the captain he sent out to ambush Hiccup, and from this he soon realized the truth; all four of the men who he ordered to capture him were now dead, leaving Hiccup still standing.

He dropped the head to the ground. His right eye began to twitch in anger, and his hands started to close into fists. He unsheathed his sword from it's sheathe and raised it up high towards the air before letting out a mighty and loud roar of rage into the snowy night, loud enough that it able to wake the nearby denizens from their huts up from slumber.

His roar was a promise that he would not stop until Hiccup laid dead beneath his feet...


	5. Bad News

**I decided to make this chapter shorter since there wasn't much to add on, though the results of the events that our three protagonists have done will affect Hiccup once he hears the news of what will go down for him if he's found.**

 **Also, thanks to harrypanther, CajunBear73, and NeonArt1 for reviewing the previous chapter, and a thanks to everyone for all the support so far! You guys are spectacular.**

 **Now, with that out of our way, let's continue on with the story!**

* * *

The news about the four guards' deaths spread fast that night throughout the city of Kattegat. The three bodies found dead in front of Hiccup's cottage were recovered, and the remaining corpse was still yet to be found, but so far there wasn't a single trace… yet. And as for Hiccup, many people soon started to call him 'The Slayer' as a result of his deed that night, and for the rest of the night Hiccup, Magnus and Eira remained out of sight.

"Well, we can't let you out into the public anymore." sighed Magnus. "Too many citizens are intimidated of you, and it's clear that you're a kill on sight to all the guards."

Hiccup's face lit up. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." he replied. "And I suspect that soon Ivar will place a bounty on your head, though as long as you stay in here - you won't be found... for a time."

"But still, you need to leave Kattegat." added on Eira. "Eventually they _will_ find you and execute you if you're not quick enough to react. Kattegat isn't safe. Norway isn't safe."

Magnus nodded in agreement. "I'd say that all of Scandinavia isn't safe." he said. "You can't go anywhere without getting into conflict with other clans and tribes, that is of course, unless they rally under one banner in which they'd cease hostilities - but I can't see that happening. The only time I remember such a thing was when the Great Heathen Army was mustered."

Hiccup eyed both of them, exchanging looks with them. He began to shake his head. "Where am I supposed to go?" he asked. "I'll be rejected by kingdoms all throughout, especially England. They'll just kill me off because I'm a Viking, and we know Ivar invaded that place once before."

The smithy grasped his hands together in deep thought of how to express his next words. But then he said; "There is _one_ place that you can go."

Magnus stood from his chair, turning his direction towards the wooden stairs as he began making his way up to his room, and after that all that Hiccup and Eira heard was rattling and creaking coming from upstairs. For many long minutes both of them sat there waiting.

"What is he looking for this time?" asked Hiccup.

Eira gave a shrug at the young Viking. "I don't know." she said, diverting her attention towards the stairs as they heard the stomping of boots from the upstairs floor above them.

Soon enough, Magnus came running back down with a large rolled up piece of parchment in his hands. He set it down in front of the two and he looked at them with a smirk as he began to unroll it.

When Hiccup gazed at the contents, he realized that what he saw was a map - and one he looked at in disbelief as the drawings he saw on it weren't of any map he knew, because the only thing there was on there were islands and islands spread out all over it.

"Is this…?"

Magnus nodded. "Yes, Hiccup." he replied. "What you heard about the Archipelago was… all true."

Ever so slightly a small smile began to form on the young Viking's face, and it began to get wider and wider as he scanned the map with his gaze. "This, is my salvation. My promised freedom. My chance to leave this rotting hole of a city and find a new life." he said happily. "Though, my only question is; where is this Archipelago located?"

"Out in the oceans Northwest of Scandinavia." answered Magnus. "And trust me when I tell you that the Archipelago is filled with the most kindest, intelligent, and understanding Vikings that you will find. Though I will admit, there are also Vikings that will act like those here - warriors who do nothing but fight and start wars."

From hearing those words, Hiccup's grin lessened a bit as he rotated his gaze onto the blacksmith with a look of concern and curiosity. "How do you know this?" he asked.

Magnus sighed. "Because… my family was born there - even though _I_ wasn't."

…

* * *

For the remainder of the night, Magnus and Hiccup had slept calmly in the safe haven of the smithy's hut, and Eira had gone off back to her hut to get a well night's rest. The events that had happened that night however began to cause some commotion as things escalated, and because of this it was to both Magnus and Eira's best intention that Hiccup would depart from the city the following night.

As Hiccup slept in the warm and comforting bed in the guest room, he dreamt where he could see himself flying in the sky, atop a beast, atop a winged reptile, atop a dragon. Though it was one he didn't recognize in the tales since the scales were a very dark color, especially since he was flying in the night.

He felt the chilly but relaxing air wash over him as he flew, and in his mind he wondered how it led to him flying on top of a dragon. Weren't they beasts? Mystical animals that people thought didn't existed? How could he ride a fire-breathing reptile without being scorched alive, or-

Blink.

Hiccup wouldn't be able to finish his thought. Immediately the scene cut for him, and he saw himself standing atop a grassy cliff under a bright blue sky, and upon seeing the view he gave a wide smile. Never in his life had he ever seen a clear blue sky with the clouds and sun flying over him - though he did live in Norway after all, and all the only sky there was throughout the life time he'd been there was a cloudy and grey sky.

Blink.

Once again, the scene changed for him, but this time, it wasn't a comforting scene. He now found himself standing on an island where there was nothing but dark rock and withered trees. The sky was darkened with clouds, and lightning struck with the sound of wind and thunder following.

He looked around, having no clue on where this place was or what it was. However, what soon caught his attention was the movement from a flying figure behind the clouds. Every strike of lightning revealed where it was moving, and what it was doing, but eventually it became clear to Hiccup on what it was. A black Dragon.

Then, what followed was the sound of a screech that sounded like wind flying past him faster than he could ever imagine, along with a roar. The pitch got higher and higher in sound, and it was then he saw the silhouette of the Dragon descending from the clouds before it began to fly towards him. It's mouth opened revealing a bright glow, then the flying beast began to charge him and then…

Blink.

Hiccup woke up, sweating all over. He looked at his hands, then at his legs and feet. He was still whole, nothing broken or damaged.

"Thank gods." he whispered, giving off a sigh of relief as he dropped his head back against the pillow.

He sat back up and looked around, then he stared out through the nearby window, only to be met with the light of morning shining in his face from the cloudy sky. It was morning.

He gave himself a nod as he stretched his arms out, giving off a silent yawn and then quickly getting out of bed. He latched on his cloak and he placed his sheathed blade around his waist before proceeding to make his way downstairs where Magnus sat, reading a book and eating.

The smithy sipped on his stew, exchanging his gaze from the bowl to the pages in the book, and when he noticed Hiccup coming towards him he set his book aside and gave the young man a wave.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked.

Hiccup sighed, giving of a gesture with his hand of so-and-so. "It was okay. Just woke up sweating with my heart racing because… well, it's one of those unexpected dreams."

Magnus smirked. "Hmph."

Hiccup sat down in a chair near Magnus on the other side of the long-table. He eyed the older Viking as he continued to sip from his stew, and at first it seemed like he had nothing to talk about with the younger Viking. But that was until he stopped eyeing his bowl and said; "Alright. If you want to ask something, feel free to ask. What are you concerned about, Hiccup?"

"Did… anything happen early this morning after the events we had?"

"Well…" began Magnus. "All I can tell you is that there are guards patrolling every corner and road of Kattegat, searching for you. They even recovered the corpse of the fourth guard who came here yesterday when we slew him."

"The fourth guard? I thought you kept his body hidden upstairs."

The smithy shook his head. "I didn't keep him here for long." he answered. "I disposed the body from my hut and I placed it behind a bush near your cottage, but there's no way you can get near that place anymore; it's fortified with a couple dozen guards."

Hiccup's face lit up. "Is there no where I can go in Kattegat without getting caught? It feels like there's a whole army on my tail, wanting my head."

"Which brings me to the next thing:" he replied to the frustrated Viking. " _Ivar_ is after your head now."

Hiccup immediately froze, eyes widened. If Ivar was indeed after his head as well as hostile to him, then that meant that all of Kattegat was a hostile place for him. If he were to even be spotted by anyone, even a thrall, then it would definitely be his end, and he would not be given a second chance.

He opened his mouth after hearing that piece of news from Magnus, and at first he let out nothing but a breath of hot air. The smithy could clearly see the fear that now enveloped Hiccup.

Magnus stood from his chair. "I promise you though: Eira and I will get you out of Kattegat tonight. There is no way in Thor we will let them execute you and-"

"What else did Ivar say about me?" he asked, finally finding the words to let out.

Magnus sighed. "He… he said that whoever brings you alive or beheaded will gain a sum of nearly a hundred pounds of gold and silver. That is enough for an Earl or Jarl to own a decent sized amount of land."

Hiccup splurted out a small chuckle. "So not only does he want me captured, but he's also placed a price on my head… funny. I'm not surprised at all at _this_. After all, you said it would be a matter of time before he placed a bounty on my head, and here we are."

Another long period of silence followed, though this time it was Magnus who looked slightly troubled - almost as if he was told something, in which in this case he was. He cleared his throat and said; "Ivar wanted me to hunt you down."

Hiccup looked up at Magnus. His face slightly whitened as he thought to himself; 'What?' Why ask Magnus? Hiccup had looked at him as a true friend - one of the only friends he had throughout his life, and now he sees an attempt coming from Ivar to shatter that friendship by offering gold if he kills him?

"Would you risk killing me just to collect a hundred pounds of gold and silver to get rich?" he asked Magnus. "Is money worth more than our bond?"

"...No." replied Magnus. "If I was ever ordered to execute you, Eira, or anyone that I considered a friend just to receive payment of gold and silver in return, I would never do it. Not even if I was offered Midgard's most richest values."

Hiccup place a fist against his cheek, leaning his elbow on the table. "I see… and what of the Blacksmith?" he asked, switching the topic.

"I'm closing it." replied Magnus as he gave off a light sigh. "Despite it being where I worked for many years, I'm not going to give my services to madmen who want to kill my friend. I told the patrons that it'll be closed for only today, though in truth…"

"You're closing it down permanently." answered Hiccup.

Magnus bowed his head a single nod. "Aye… and this all simply because my life in Kattegat is over. There's nothing good left here; only crazy Vikings who desire nothing but conflict as well as their own basic needs. The only salvation left for _me_ is-"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door of the hut. It sounded loud and hard, though not as hard as the Slavemaster's.

Magnus quickly turned his gaze from the door and over to Hiccup as he motioned to him with his hand to rush upstairs and hide. The scrawny Viking did just that and began running quietly up the stairs before going into the guest room he slept in, and he kept the door to the room slightly opened in case a conversation were to take place.

The smithy walked up to the door and immediately opened it. There was no one there in front of him - or well, that's what he thought until he looked down to his feet and saw Ivar the Boneless staring up at him with a devil-like smile.


	6. Departure

**Before beginning, I'd like to say that this chapter will probably affect you guys in terms of suspense and sadness once nearing the end of it, and this took about three days for me to write up since I wanted to give off a heavy feeling. Not to mention this is a long chapter. But no worries because the wait is over!**

 **Also, thanks to HikariCruz for the review on the previous chapter!**

 **Now, without anymore wait, let us begin chapter six!**

* * *

The Chieftain looked up at Magnus with a devil-like smile on his face, sending small chills down the blacksmith's spine upon sight. Knowing that Ivar wanted to probably speak with him, Magnus tried to keep his cool. 'Right, I'd better remain serious here.' he thought to himself.

"Hello, Magnus." he said. "Preoccupied as usual I assume?"

He showed slight tension upon sight of the Chieftain. "I- Uh, yes, Chieftain. I was just… going through my weapon rack."

"Alright..." he replied. "Can I come in, smithy?"

With no other choice, Magnus stepped to the side and allowed the twenty year old man through, shutting the door behind him as they made their way to the table. Ivar latched his hand on a chair and helped himself up, sitting down comfortably.

From upstairs, Hiccup heard who came into the hut, knowing instantly it was Ivar. If he was spotted once then it would be an axe to the head from the Chieftain of Kattegat.

The two older Vikings eyed each other, though Magnus showed more confusion than interest or curiosity on why Ivar was in his hut.

"Is there something you need, Chief?" he asked him.

"Yes, actually." replied Ivar. "As you know… your assistant Hiccup is now nothing more than a traitor to the Völsung Clan - I mean, he killed our people after all. Four guards dead at the hands of a single slave. A single thrall."

"And you want me to bolster my efforts in finding him?" asked Magnus.

Ivar gave another evil grin as he shook his head. "No… Slavemaster Olaf tells me that there is someone else helping him from the shadows, and I intend to find out who. Though… I know it can't be you, you're too loyal after all… aren't you, Magnus?"

He sighed under his breath. "Yes, Chieftain. I am yours to command."

"Good." smiled the Chieftain. "And so, I am here to make you a better offer."

The smithy leaned in closer as Ivar opened his mouth, ready to speak his mind and offering to the older Viking. "I will make you richer if you catch Hiccup and his acquaintance." he said. "Catch the slave, and I will offer you twice the amount of gold and silver, then catch his acquaintance and I'll give off another hundred pounds to you."

He then leaned back and gave a smile to the blacksmith who sat there, wordless. "You will be set for life."

Magnus covered his face in his palms, rubbing his eyes but also giving a look of concern and confusion. "C- Can you repeat that again?" he asked.

"Three hundred pounds." answered Ivar. "In weight of gold and silver… it's more than any man could ask for."

Hiccup squinted his eyes in suspicion. All of it had thus far made been clear to him; but why Magnus? Ivar is asking for him being the thrall he is to be turned in, whilst as well turning in whoever's helping, which is himself and Eira. And the gold he's offering; three hundred pounds…

"What is the Chieftain of Kattegat up to?" Hiccup quietly asked himself.

Magnus leaned back in his chair. "Is this a trick, or are you being serious about the payment which you are offering?"

Ivar raised his hands up, shaking his hands with the grin still on his face. "There is no trick, son of Arvid. All I ask is simply for Hiccup and his assistant to be handed over to me, alive or dead."

The older Viking gave a nod of approval, though in his mind he knew that he was not going to hand in the younger Viking, thus his nod simply proved to be false. "I'll consider it."

Ivar bowed his head. "Very good." he said. "When you have news or if you've caught them, just come to me with them in shackles and I will return you with the grand payment."

The young Chieftain then proceeded to slowly slide down the chair, before crawling his way to the door and making his way outside back into the cold of Kattegat, closing it tight behind him. When the coast was cleared and Magnus ensured that Ivar was no longer in sight, he ran up the stairs to the guest room and gave a nod upon seeing Hiccup.

The scrawny Viking looked at him with concern. "What was that offering he made about gold and silver?"

"I- I don't know." replied Magnus. "...But I am definitely not going to abide by his terms, and nor will I take a single piece of it."

"Well what are we going to do, then? We can't just sit by and wait for Ivar to find me and execute me. We must-"

"I promised you that I would make sure you left this city by nightfall." he interrupted. "And I will make sure that happens, one way or another."

He turned around, making his way downstairs with his hand grasped onto the hilt of his sword that laid around his waist, and Hiccup quickly followed behind him. "Where are you going?" he asked Magnus.

He looked back at his assistant. "Eira must know about this as well."

…

* * *

"Three hundred pounds?" she asked.

"Yep." they both replied in unison.

"Of gold and silver to you, Magnus - just for Hiccup's head as well as this 'acquaintance' that's helping him?"

"Well technically the both of you are helping me." answered Hiccup. "But yes, that's what Magnus told me. Two hundred for my head and a hundred more for the person that was helping me."

Eira facepalmed herself. "Alright, forget what I said before about a hundred pounds. Three hundred is a whole different story, and it's enough to become a rich Earl of Jarl… but now I think Ivar's crossed the line."

Magnus gave a nod. "Well at least we know the name of that smelly Slavemaster." he said. "His name is Olaf."

"Hah!" laughed Eira. "Now that's a funny name for someone like him - especially since it sounds like a crack about his weight."

Hearing those words the three began to crack up on the joke, their laughs lasting nearly a half minute straight. Hiccup never recalled ever having a funny moment like this, but this just took the cake for him, though eventually the funny moment did die out.

The three sighed, relieving their laughters. "Alright, back to where we were…" said Hiccup, clearing his throat.

"Now." began Magnus. "All I can say is that Ivar is probably desperate for catching you, Hiccup. And on extent, catching us as well probably. He doesn't know that we're helping you, but when he finds out that Eira and I were then he'll play a further bounty on the two of us."

Eira nodded. "Escaping this city will also be harder than I expected."

Hiccup and Magnus looked at her with arched brows. "Why?" they asked in unison.

"Ivar has fortified the docks with fifty guards that patrol every corner and every pier. There's no way we can get passed them with brute force, unless… we wait until night."

"How many will there then?" asked Magnus.

"Probably half of the amount, maybe even less if we're lucky."

"Then a plan must be settled." replied Hiccup. "To get to the docks in the day would be suicide - we know that, but what can we use in advantage in the night time if there's still a heavy amount patrolling there?"

Eira gave a chuckle. "Stealth is your best friend in this case." she answered. "As long as you remain out of their sight and keep a distance away, then you'll be safe."

"Being stealthy isn't what I'm worried about." he responded, shaking his head. "What I'm concerned about is getting onto the pier. How are we supposed to get passed them without getting caught by a dozen guards or more? There's nothing to hide behind on those piers."

Silence hit the room. The three looked at each other with unsure looks as Hiccup did have a point. Why bother trying to sneak when there's nothing you can use to sneak behind or in? It seemed as if there was almost no way of escaping.

However, Magnus snapped his fingers in thought, raising up his hand with a smirk. "I may have an idea."

…

* * *

Snow fell down upon the city of Kattegat, with the wind blowing as hard as if it were a blizzard. The townsfolk were all in their huts that night, and a majority of the Völsung Clan guard were off duty.

For many hours that day Hiccup, Magnus and Eira planned on the stratagem of the young Viking's escape. Going back and forth on one part of their plan before moving on to the other and doing the same thing all over again, and though it took a lot of thought and time it was still worth it. Now that night had come, things would become a lot more easier.

Hiccup and Eira hid behind a shrub of bushes near the docks, gazing at the guards that patrolled around the area with their weapons firmly gripped in their hands. To their luck, there was less than twenty guards overlooking the docks.

"At least eighteen of them." whispered Eira.

Hiccup gave a sigh. "Well, it's still a lot to get passed through." he said. "From what I see here at least three guards are patrolling their own piers, and one of the groups are walking among the vendor tents, so… maybe we can distract them?"

"...I have an idea, wait here." she said with a smirk before quietly rushing out of the bushes to another shrub of them clustered near one of the tents, keeping her head low whilst minding her surroundings.

After watching her rush into the next shrub of bushes, Hiccup sat there and waited, gazing at where she was to see what would happen - though what caught his attention and nearly sent a chill of tension down his spine was the nearby group of guards patrolling around the tents. And closer and closer they got to her position.

But to his surprise, they didn't notice her or her slight movement in the bushes, and when the first two guards passed her with the third following from behind - that's when Eira struck. She unsheathed a dagger from one of her sheathes and sneakily rushed up to the third guard of the group, slitting his throat as she pulled him back into the bushes she hid in.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Alright then." he whispered to himself. "I've seen everything."

Eventually, the two guards would stop in their tracks as they would notice that one of the members among their group was missing, and the two looked at each other with exchanged glances.

"Split up!" the first one said.

The two parted ways into the opposite directions, one continuing along their patrol route while the other began making his way around in the other direction, circling back. Hiccup smirked from seeing their move.

As the second guard neared him he gave off a whistle. The large Viking looked around at first but he still continued to walk - then came the whistle again, and the guard stopped in his tracks. He looked around, more confused from what he was hearing rather than where it was coming from, though his mind was on both things as well.

"Is that a bird or something?" he asked out loud, holding his axe outwards with his shield in front.

Hiccup sighed and whistled again; this time louder and more direct to the guard.

The warrior looked to his left at the cluster of bushes, noticing slight movement going on as well as being able to hear the whistles more clearly as he got closer and closer. He gave a snarl, growling at whatever or whoever was hiding as he pointed his sword outwards.

"Show yourself!" he demanded.

Hiccup gave a quiet chuckle. "Alright." and quickly he lashed out at the guard, aiming his blade at the large man's windpipe. He sliced his blade up, hoping to the gods that he would get the hit and not mess this up by missing, but fortunately he found his target as he felt droplets of blood hit his face and hand whilst hearing the guard choke.

Immediately he pushed the larger Viking into the shrubs and waited until he slowly died from suffocation, and then the young man gave a sigh. "Good riddance." he said, wiping the small spots of blood off his hand and face.

As he was about to move to the next bush where Eira had hid in he noticed that she was already coming towards him, and to her feet was a limp body which she was dragging heavily to bushes which Hiccup hid in.

The two of them pulled the dead corpse into the shrubs, giving each other nods of approval. The first part of the docks had been cleared.

"That was quick." complemented Hiccup.

"Well, what do you expect from Vikings that are as sneaky and skillful as rogues? I've trained in this for many years along with fighting. Though- hmm..."

Hiccup noticed that Eira started to look around, almost as if she was expecting someone to come. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She looked back at him with a serious expression. "I don't see any sign of Magnus." she replied. "He should've been here by now… he'd better not be at some stupid tavern trying to pick up ladies. Last time that happened he was about your age, and he-"

Suddenly a distant horn began to blow, and the two of them looked back at the direction from where it was coming from. They started hearing shouts and yelling from all around as guards were running past them from the piers, obviously rushing to rally where the sound of the horn came from.

"What in the name of Thor is going on-"

Before he could finish a figure immediately jumped into the bushes, landing next to the two and startling them. The cloaked figure removed his hood and revealed himself to the two. It was Magnus, carrying a satchel in his hands with small scratches across his face.

Eira gave a sigh of relief. "What happened!? I was worried about you!"

The smithy breathed fast, trying to get air back into his lungs. "I got into a fight with five guards." he answered, still recovering his breath. "I killed them all and set the cottage on fire before running to the Blacksmith and igniting it as well."

Hiccup's face lit up. "You burnt your own shop?"

He nodded in response. "What more use do I have for a wooden and flaming outhouse? I'm done with serving weapons to barbarians, and I'm sure as Hel done with helping Ivar. Now, if I were you two, I would start searching for the longship that you prepared, Eira."

The young woman gave a nod, motioning the two to follow her behind. This time they didn't bother keeping their heads low now that there were no longer any guards around them, running as fast as they could along the row of piers.

"Which one is it?" called out Hiccup.

Eira gazed at the piers as they rushed by them one by one, until she noticed her longship in the distance. "It's… that one!" she pointed out.

The three immediately stopped running and turned their attention onto the fourth pier, changing their direction and rushing along the wooden floorboards until they spotted Eira's docked and prepared longship. The sail was raised and it seemed to be packed.

"This is it?" asked Hiccup, and he received a nod from Eira.

They jumped onto the ship, giving a quick glance around and inspecting what it was loaded with. "It's packed with a week's supply worth of food, and it has a maximum speed of fourteen knots."

Hiccup gave a small grin. "Excellent!" he replied, though that grin on his face wouldn't last long as she would finish with; "It's a week's worth of food for only one person."

The scrawny Viking's smile faded as he looked back at the two older adults. "You're… you're not coming with me?" he asked before diverting his attention on the blacksmith. "Magnus?"

He shook his head. "I cannot go, Hiccup." he said softly. "I just can't risk to continue endangering you with Ivar and Olaf on your tail. They'll just keep running and running after you until they bring you to their knees, and I won't allow that to happen. I'll stay here and hold them off, as well as do what I should've done a long time ago. It is a personal matter, a matter that has much to do with Ivar."

Hiccup stared up at Magnus with widened eyes. His heart began to beat faster in the sense that he felt like he was about to lose someone. Someone that he relied on for the many years of his life, someone he saw as an inspirational figure, a mentor, and someone he viewed as family.

"I- I…" Hiccup's words choked. He didn't know what to say since Magnus was leaving him. "But you still have your friends." he said. "I don't want you to stay. I want you to come with me. We can-"

"Hiccup." he began softly. "There's nothing left for me here except the bones of my family that lay lost, and now I don't want to lose you and have you share their fate. You'll find your true family out there in the Archipelago, and probably with this."

From the satchel he had wrapped around his waist he proceeded to take out a furred woolen fabric of some sort before handing it over to Hiccup. It was a furred blanket.

"My father found you as an infant when you were wrapped in this blanket. Maybe it can help you figure out where you came from, and what tribe you're from." he said, taking the satchel off from around his waist and throwing it onto the deck of the ship.

"Use the map, and find the island known as Berk. When you get there, look for a large blonde Viking known as _Gobber_. Tell him that his friend Magnus sent you."

An expression of sadness and confusion began to form on Hiccup's face, his words now starting to stutter as he faced down. "B- But I- I can't. I-"

Magnus placed his hands on the young Viking's shoulders. "I know you'll make it through, Hiccup. You don't need me. What guides you through is just _yourself_ , as well as your _mind_ and your _heart_. Out there, there is another world waiting for you. One where you'll no longer need me. Hm?"

Hiccup looked up at Magnus. The smithy began noticing small tears forming at the corner of the innocent young Viking's eyes, tears which he tried his best to hold back, but eventually he gave in as he said to Magnus in a choking voice;

"My heart is broken…"

Magnus calmly pulled him in, placing his right arm around his shoulders and resting his chin atop his head as Hiccup sobbed. "It will fix itself soon enough, Hiccup." he replied softly, rubbing his left hand on the scrawny Viking's right shoulder. To him, Magnus wasn't just a friend, he was like an older brother.

From the distance, the horn began to blow again and sound of marching and running started coming towards the docks, and immediately the two older adults looked back at the source, gazing as torches with the silhouettes of guards came into view.

Eira placed a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "It is time." she said.

Magnus nodded back, pulling back and releasing Hiccup. He quickly ran towards the rope that kept the sail up and he started to undo the knot. Immediately the fabric came down and the ship slowly began to move from the wind hitting the sail.

Magnus and Eira proceeded to rush their way off the longship, and upon landing on the pier they gazed back at the vessel that started making it's way out of the harbor, and Hiccup looked back at them. "Know that I will always remember you like a brother, Hiccup… farewell, and good luck!" Magnus called out.

From behind, a dozen guards came into view with their weapons unsheathed and their shields at the ready. Magnus and Eira stared back at them, unsheathing their swords and giving off smirks of eagerness - the two of them ready to fight more than ever.

"Come and get us." taunted Magnus, and the guards immediately rushed them.

Hiccup rolled himself up into a ball, wrapping himself in his cloak to keep himself warm, and resting his head on his knees. Small tears still fell as he heard the clash of weapons strike from behind, hearing mostly the sounds of guards falling beneath his friends' feet. It would all soon cease however as the distance of the longship following the stream silenced all the noises of fighting.

All he heard now was the sound of water hitting his ship, as well as the wind from the snow blowing.

At last, he could start a new life away from Kattegat. At last, freedom was his...


	7. This Is Berk?

**Right, sorry for the long wait! Life has been a bugger to me, and I've been focusing a lot on things. But no worries, because once again here is the next chapter!**

 **Update 6/30/18: By the way, I should mention. As of now later in this story, the setting will return back to Norway due to specific events that will take place, though I won't spoil on why it happens or what will happen. Regardless though, it is now also another main setting. But don't worry! Berk will last for a _very_ long while in this story.**

 **Also, thanks to Mariah(Guest), thomaspheasant, HikariCruz, Tak(Guest), and BrawlerGamer for the reviews on the previous chapter!**

 **Now then, let us continue our story!**

* * *

Hiccup laid on his back as the longship sailed on it's own, following the tides and winds to wherever it would guide him. He was curled in his furred cloak, feeling snow and rain hit his face as a northern chill flew over him like dust. He looked up towards the map he was given, closely inspecting it from island to island and from sea to sea.

But as he read the map, the item alone reminded him of Magnus, and what horror he was likely going through right now at the hands of Ivar. Though even as these sad thoughts would fill him he would find his eyes tearless and instead filled with empty thought…

For days Hiccup had been traveling alone by sea, keeping the direction of the longship and sail pointed Northwest to where the Archipelago was supposed to be, however most of the days he'd gone through by far were foggy, and navigation proved difficult to him.

"I wonder what it's going to be like there." he said to himself. "There was the mention that there'd be Dragons, though I can't see _that_ as a reality, I mean they're just mythical creatures. Winged beasts that shoot and breath fire… right?"

He arched a brow in thought, still letting his mind flow through with what he was told about the Archipelago. "And this island; Berk." he continued. "What kind of people will I meet there? Who is this Gobber? And who is their Chieftain? ...Gah! I have too much to ask myself."

The young Viking threw the map aside, giving a sigh as he looked up in the sky - his eyes closed and mind flowing through.

"Hmph." he chuckled to himself. "Who knows if there really are Dragons in the Archipelago. If so, then my time there will be a Hel of a lot fighting. Unless…"

Suddenly his mind was lost in a brainstorm, and he began to think on the dream he had the night before. He remembered seeing himself in one scene standing on a deserted and blackened island of ash and rock, before seeing the shadow of a dragon charge him. And then the other scene was him looking out over a grassy cliff, staring at the bright blue sky.

Yet out of those two, the third one was what caught his attention the most. He remembered seeing himself ride atop a black Dragon with dark night-like scales. It flew like a majestic creature, swiftly and smoothly through the air like a bird. Perhaps that connects to what he'll see when he arrives? Only the gods would know.

But regardless, Hiccup kept his thought on where the Archipelago, and specifically where Berk might be according to the map. He would keep going Northwest, even if that meant sailing to the ends of the earth, and as his thoughts continued to flood him he slowly allowed himself to give in to rest, eventually falling asleep to the sound of the tides, winds, rain, and snow.

…

* * *

His dream made his vision blurry. All around he had no idea where he was or what was going on at first. The only thing he could hear was a pair of shackles being moved around in what seemed to be… a cage. Not from him, but from someone else.

Hiccup tried to call out, but he found himself being unable to say anything. All that he let out was a big breath of hot air. He then tried to move, but was barely able to. What was this dream he was in?

Suddenly he began hearing what seemed to be footsteps at first, but as the sound became more clear to him he released it was just hitting of wood against wood, and as his vision started to clear up he saw a figure crawling towards him, with small wooden walkers used with his hands to drag himself.

It was Ivar.

He could easily see the disgruntled and pissy face that the Viking Chieftain had. It was obvious that he expected Magnus would've been loyal to him after all this time, but it seemed that was no longer the case now that the former smithy had freed his assistant from being a thrall - a slave… with a price.

As Hiccup's vision cleared even more he could make out the silhouette of a man sitting in the cage, bruised and beaten. He had cuts across his face, and some of his clothes remained tattered.

" _Wake up, traitor."_ growled Ivar. _"It's time you let me in on your little secret."_

Hiccup's eyes widened as his face lit up. It soon became clear that the man sitting in the cage was his friend who for his entire life defended and stood up to him. Magnus laid in Ivar's clutches.

" _Ivar?"_ the older Viking groaned. _"You won't get away with this…"_

Ivar chuckled. _"Get away with what? Me catching you with a desire to execute you? I already have. You are the only one responsible."_

" _No… you still forgot one."_

Ivar's brow arched. _"Oh great, now you are going to speak in riddles, aren't you? Or are you saying that I forgot about your wretched friend Hiccup?"_

" _No… my other friend."_

Ivar gave a quick smirk, lightly chuckling again before he took the jagged bottom of one of his wooden walkers and gave a quick gouge to Magnus' foot. The former smithy in response hissed in pain, taking it like a man.

" _So someone else was helping you, then?"_

Magnus nodded. _"She escaped the conflict when a dozen of your guards were slain by us. Before your puppet Slavemaster came and took me in."_

" _Where is she?"_

Magnus didn't respond. He just stared at Ivar with an emotionless expression, almost as if he didn't care anymore about his own life. Even if he told the Chieftain or not he would be executed either way.

" _ANSWER THE QUESTION, WRETCH!"_

Still, there was no response from the former blacksmith. Ivar spun his head in a circle, cracking and relaxing the knuckles in his neck as his gaze on Magnus turned into a further devil-like look.

" _Very well."_ the Chieftain responded coldly. _"If you won't give me any answers, I'll make you do it myself."_ From his boot he unsheathed a dagger and began running it from Magnus' foot to his knee cap where he gave a small stab, causing the young man to squint in pain.

" _Oh, and just so you know."_ he continued. _"If you think your little friend will get away easily, you are terribly mistaken. Once I find this Archipelago, I will find your runt Hiccup, and I will claim my prize as I impale his head on a spike and place it outside the gates of Kattegat."_

" _You can try."_

Ivar cackled, pointing the dagger closer and higher to the Viking near his stomach. _"Oh, I certainly will. Now, let's begin…"_

Hiccup shook his head on sight. With all the will and strength he had he tried moving himself and found that he was now running towards Magnus and Ivar, screaming out his friend's name. He got closer to the two Vikings, he jumped in the way and then…

He woke up.

He awoke and quickly felt water hitting his face hard as the wind blew heavily, followed by the sound of thunder echoing after lightning struck above him. Wasting no time he stood on his feet and gazed all around him, soon realizing that he was sailing in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Immediately Hiccup's adrenaline began to rush. "Bah!" he grunted. "Is this what I deserve after escaping to search for my freedom? Is this what I get from the mighty God of thunder and lightning himself?"

After saying those words a bolt of strong lightning struck near him and the longship he was on, with a loud boom of thunder rattling all around. Whether it was convenience, or the actual God by the name of Thor striking him - he did not know. The only thing he knew right now was that the winds were blasting him off course.

Hiccup stood on both feet and rush to the knot that kept the sail together, but found that it was loosen from the rain and heavy winds. In attempt to save it from floating away or becoming too loose he used what strength he had and began to re-tie the rope altogether, though this proved to be challenging as he had to pull down on the sail at the same time to prevent it from flying away.

Eventually however, he did succeed in reestablishing the knot, and he was able to move on with the sail intact. "C'mon, lass. Keep it together!" he called out before a raising brow as he asked himself; "Did I actually call this ship a lass? I'm getting too ahead of myself…"

Reaching the steering oar Hiccup began to pull on it tightly and with all that he had. The longship was still going off course, and even with the sail fixed he couldn't follow the Northwestern winds since they were by this point having a fiasco, blowing in different directions. North, West, South, East, and so forth.

He continued pulling hard on the steering oar, keeping his hands firm and together as he squeezed and pull. He squeezed and squeezed and pull until finally something happened. Lightning once more struck, this time directly hitting the oar and destroying it as a burst of flames exploded outwards.

Hiccup fell on his rear from the impact, hissing at the pain as a couple small splinters of sharp wood flew at his left leg, leaving him only being able to limp. Without the steering oar, the situation began looking hopeless to him as the longship started spinning out of control.

He turned his head to the right and noticed the woolen blanket and the map scattered near the satchel which Magnus gave him. His gaze was taken away as he let out a grunt, standing back to his feet and limping over to the objects to gather them.

"I can't… lose these…" he groaned, grabbing both objects with his arms and putting them in the satchel wholesome. He then wrapped the small bag around his waist before proceeding to make his way to the base of the mast. He grabbed ahold of the large wooden pole and looked out to sea.

There was nothing.

The only thing that his sight provided him was the view of churning tides and waves along with a fog on the horizon that shown from a hundred yards away, and it was all around him on every direction.

Seeing the situation now hopeless, Hiccup grasped his right hand onto what remained of the rope that kept the sail together and held on tight. He closed his eyes shut, thinking that now he would never see the chance of freedom in life, but rather in death where the Gods watched all at the table of Kings. In the hall of curved horns and endless meat, accompanied by the warming fires that would stand before the storm of Ragnarok comes, where countless warriors of the past sit and wait.

"Odin, take me to Valhalla." he said to himself, and his world immediately turned black as he felt something hard hit him against his head…

…

* * *

Hiccup's vision slowly started to come back to him, but his eyes remained closed and he didn't move an inch. He felt… softness against his back and head, and the warmth of wool and cloth covered him from his waist to his feet. He was lying down in a bed, but where was he?

"Is he even still alive?" said a young man's voice. "The poor guy looks like he took a beating out there."

"I don't know." replied another voice, this time a young woman's. "He has quite the sized cuts on his left leg, and there are bruises all over him… though I don't recognize him."

"Maybe he came from Berserker Island?"

"Tuff, I highly doubt he is among Dagur's Tribe. If he was, we would've seen him before, or Dagur and Heather would've told us."

"Astrid's got a point. And besides… I don't think a scrawny-like figure would be fit in his Tribe. That is if he has skill in fighting."

Hiccup listened. His ears wide and opened as a group of what seemed to be five people sounding his age continued discussing, though he kept his eyes shut. So far there were three men and two women, at least according to how he counted.

"Maybe he's from Mogadon's Tribe? The Meatheads?"

"I don't think so, Ruff. I mean, we know that Mogadon is a hearty man and sometimes arrogant like Stoick, but his characteristics don't really… match. Most of the Vikings I've seen on Meathead are more muscular than most of us."

"Whoa. Even you, Snotlout?"

"...Perhaps so, Ruffnut. Though definitely not our Chief."

"So then what Tribe is he from? Any ideas… Astrid?"

"No idea, Fishlegs… in fact, truth be told now that I think about it; I don't believe he is even from around here. He could've come here from outside the fog bank. Maybe from the North?"

"What? He surely can't be a Dragon Hunter."

"Wouldn't say that he is, Heir. Though who said he wasn't?"

Hiccup unnoticingly raised his brows in confusion. Dragon Hunters? Berserkers? Meatheads? Who in the name of Midgard were these people?

"Whoa, Tuff. What are you doing?" asked who Hiccup by this point knew was Snotlout, the Heir of whatever Tribe or island he was on.

The sound of hands gripping against wood along with metal hitting the palm of one of the young Viking's hands was clear to him as Tuffnut said; "I'm going to deal with this, my Heir. There is no need to _worry_." he chuckled.

"But he's injured, you can't just-"

"This is the right thing to do, Snotlout. Just watch. Hehehe…"

That was it. If Hiccup was about to be bashed on the head by a mace, stabbed in the chest with a sword, or axed apart as a joke then he would not sit there like a downed bird and wait to be preyed on. He reached down to where his sheathed weapon was, hoping to the gods it was still there, and to his luck it was.

His adrenaline soon began to rush, and he lowered his brows in anger as he quickly opened his eyes unnoticingly. He then threw the blanket off his waist and unsheathed his sword, pointing it outwards on the figure that was nearest to him who was about to advance on him with a mace in hand. As blade raised near his neck.

The young Vikings were startled as they jumped back, looking at the injured figure who breathed intensely and held a weapon in hand.

Hiccup growled at Tuffnut. "If you want to do what's best for you, then put that mace down, barbarian."

Tuff backed up as he dropped his mace, raising his hands in the air. Hiccup then slowly stood out of bed with his sword still in hand, pointed towards the group of Vikings he could now easily make out, though one of them caught his attention.

It was a blonde girl, her eyes blue and her skin very light. She wore a blue sleeveless cloth tunic, along with leathery leggings, boots, and mailed-plate shoulder-guards. He wondered who she was, but quickly shoved it aside and went back on his focus.

"Stay, away, from me." he told them. "I'm warning you, I want no trouble! I've had enough with facing Vikings who've wanted to kill me for their own desires. I won't be killed by you barbarians-"

"Easy." the young woman said, stepping forward with her hands raised in front. "We found you on shore with a ruined longship, so we decided to take you in and tend your wounds. You have no enemies here. We are not barbarians."

Hiccup raised one of his brows as he groaned in pain. His strength quickly failed him and he dropped his sword to the ground, but not before he was caught by the blonde lady and the muscular young man as they wrapped their arms around his shoulders.

"You must have taken a beaten." said Snotlout, calmly placing Hiccup back on the bed. The scrawny Viking gave a nod in response.

"All I wanted to do was find Berk." he said, giving a sigh of frustration. "Find my freedom and escape the clutches of my enemy who are now after me."

Everyone's eyes widened. Especially Snotlout's, and they started to exchange looks with one another. "Well, this is Berk." responded the blonde lady. "Though the question for us is; who are you?"

Hiccup looked up at them. "...My name is Hiccup."

"Hiccup… who?"

He sighed. "Just Hiccup. I never really knew my true origin, thus I am what I am…"

The young lady gave a nod. "Well, you gave us your name. Now I'll give ours. My name is Astrid. That is Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and our Heir; Snotlout Jorgenson."

"A pleasure." smiled Snotlout.

Hiccup let out a soft breath, looking around the room he sat in. The construction of the hut he was in was not familiar. The wood was a more auburn-like color, and on the walls there were shields and other decoratives he never saw before.

"So… I'm in the Archipelago, then?"

"Yup." nodded Fishlegs. "Twelve days north and located solidly on the Meridian of Misery."

"And where do you come from?" asked Astrid. "Are you by chance from outside the fog bank? Maybe from one of the Tribes found out there?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I am nowhere from here." he answered them. "I come from a land covered in rain and snow, always cloudy and always grey. A land of never-ending war and conflict between greater and inferior. I come from the Viking occupied lands of Norway, found in Scandinavia."

"Scandinavia?" asked Fishlegs, his eyes clearly widened. "We thought those lands were just a myth, that they didn't exist. But- wait, how did you find your way here?"

"An old friend lended me a hand. And a map." sighed Hiccup. "Those in Norway never thought the Archipelago existed either, but there is no way in Helheim I am ever going back."

"Why? Aren't you from there?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Norway was never my home." he replied. "For my entire life I sought escape. I've been beaten, tortured, humiliated, and stripped of my humanity by Vikings. I was nothing but a runt and a waste."

Astrid gave a face of concern and confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked him. "How could you have been beaten all your life? Aren't the Tribes of Scandinavia like those in the Archipelago-"

"I was a slave. A thrall." he answered.

Everyone turned their attention away from Hiccup, facing each other in even further confusion, and most of all concern for the young man. The life which Hiccup described was something they never heard or experienced from their own lifestyle. Slavery was outlawed and forbidden in most of the Archipelago Tribes, including Berk. What kind of land did he come from? What kind of sick and twisted civilization did he live among that desired and craved war?

Snotlout fixed a stare upon the scrawny Viking. "I'm- sorry for you, Hiccup…" he said. "If there's anything I can do though, just tell me. I'll be happy to allow you to stay at Berk for the time being, and if I can convince Stoick to let you stay permanently then you might as well consider the Hooligan Tribe to be your Tribe, and for Berk to be your home."

Hiccup's grin quickly widened. "Thank you, Heir." he said with a hearty tone. "I never thought that I would ever meet such reasonable Vikings like yourselves. You have my gratitude."

Snotlout gave a chuckle. "Just call me Snotlout, Hiccup. It's not like I'm some sort of King."

Hiccup bowed his head. "Hmph. Well… I want to ask something."

"By all means, anything." replied Snotlout.

"I just wanted to ask… is there a man on your island named Gobber?"

* * *

 **Now, I know what some of you are thinking: 'Artificer, why is Snotlout so nice to Hiccup, and why is he less arrogant?' All I** **can say is that there will be a reason explained in the next or a later chapter. Since Snotlout went through aging, he also went through maturity as well as more that like I said will be explained. But for now, what you see is what you see, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. Twisting Events

**Here is chapter 8! Now, all I can say is that once you guys finish reading this, you're going to probably ask yourself; 'Oh gods, what is going to happen next after this?' But all I can say is that you'll just have to wait and see soon!**

 **Also, a thanks to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter! You guys are amazing as usual!**

 **Right, now without anymore delay, let's begin chapter 8!**

* * *

A large man came in, glancing at Hiccup as well as the young Vikings before he walked in and sat next to the injured young man. His hair blonde as well as his mustache that extended down a bit from his facial area. The Viking had no right foot, and he also lacked a left hand - both of them replaced with prosthetics. A hook and a peg leg.

"So, yer tha new lad, then?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yes. And I'm going to guess you're Gobber."

Gobber gave a nod. "Right ye are, lad! Gobber tha Belch, tha' is. Though just call me Gobber - I don' need people calling my name an' title like I'm some sorta king."

"Right, right." replied Hiccup. "Anyways, it's best that we get down to business. There's much to talk about, especially on why I'm here for two reasons being. But first… I need to show you something."

Gobber arched a brow as Hiccup slowly crawled out of bed, standing on both feet as he started limping his way to the satchel that was hang on the wall - it was to his luck that the large pouch was spared as well.

He then reached his hand in and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment, wet, but still intact. He unrolled it and spun himself to face Gobber, sticking his arm out to the large Viking for him to see.

Immediately he grabbed the map from the scrawny Viking's grasp with ease and he began inspecting each island he saw one by one. They weren't anything new to him and at first he didn't seem surprised, though he did seem curious. Then, something caught his attention as he fixed his gaze in the bottom right corner of the map, eyeing upon the landmass.

It was Scandinavia.

"Scandinavia…" he slightly gasped. "Then that means you- how did you- ...how did you get here? Whose map is this?"

It was then Hiccup's eyes turned sympathetic. He looked away from Gobber for a moment as the thoughts suddenly came pouring back to him, and then he looked back at the blonde man.

"Your friend - my friend Magnus risked his life to get me to Berk away from the Völsung. He's in the clutches of their Chieftain for helping me escape the torment I had for so many years."

Gobber's face lit up. Hearing that name his memories began calling back to when he saw a boy who was very young, at least twelve or younger. A black haired boy with the natural skill of a blacksmith and the youthful strength of a warrior. He quickly knew who Hiccup was talking about.

"Magnus…" he began. "I only knew 'em when he was a boy, an' he was my friend fer years. His father an' I mailed each other before he died, an' some of those letters were from his son. We had a secret contact deliver them, but-"

He gave a sigh. "Their bastard Chieftain. If I ever see him in my sight, I'm gonna shove my prosthetic 'ook so far down his throat until-"

"Or maybe he just may find us first. Or well, me at least. Which leads me to my second point."

All eyes were set upon Hiccup, especially Snotlout's, each pair showing a questionable expression. "What are you talking about, Hiccup?" the Heir asked.

"Ivar… knows that I escaped." he replied to them. "He was the one responsible for making me a slave, a thrall, and after I escaped his city, and in general his clutches, I knew that he would promise to hunt me down. Who knows if he's already on his way here-"

"Who is this Ivar anyways?" asked Astrid as she interrupted him, though not rudely.

Hiccup looked at her, seeing the interest but concern for Hiccup in her eyes from what she heard so far. If the Chieftain of the Völsung was indeed coming after him, then who knows if he'd fight the Hooligans as well to get his prize.

The scrawny Viking sighed. "Ivar the Boneless." he began. "He is the most ruthless and savage Viking that has ever existed on this earth. He is a cripple as he is unable to walk, but for him to crawl makes him more fearful to others as they easily become intimidated. He is carried on a shield whenever he wants to travels, he rides a war chariot into battle whenever at war. He is the most cruel. The most barbaric and the most dangerous Viking ever."

Astrid nodded. "And what Tribe is he part of?"

"He commands a Clan, it's bigger than a Tribe." answered Hiccup. "Völsung is larger than any Clan you will find as it's numbers are big enough for a large army… though the largest that Ivar has ever called to his command was the Great Heathen Army."

"And how big did they number? A hundred? Two hundred? Maybe even twice that-"

Hiccup raised his hand. "Just to ask… have you ever been attacked?" he asked Astrid.

"Yes." she replied.

"How many do you and your neighboring Tribes number for warriors?"

"We number low in the hundreds; each." she answered. "Though our populaces also each consist of a couple hundred villagers, many who act as only militia."

Hiccup sighed again. "Then you'd stand no chance." he continued. "The Great Heathen Army, where do I even start… All I can say is that it is made up of many various Clans from all around Scandinavia, and they all pledged under Ivar's rule for the conquest of a land called England. And though he failed in the end, his army still had healthy numbers and dealt heavy damage despite the losses on both sides."

"And… how large is this army exactly?" asked Fishlegs, his fingers grasped together.

"Hundreds." Hiccup replied with an emotionless tone. "It is large enough to the point where it nearly numbers in the thousands, though it is also way beyond a thousand. And even if you would rally up all of your allied Tribes to stand against them, you would still stand no chance, even against their skill."

Silence followed afterwards. Everyone's faces shifted elsewhere as they looked down at the ground, at the walls, and even up towards the ceiling in their deep thoughts. They understood that Ivar would hunt down Hiccup, but what if things would escalate to the point where a war would come?

"There has to be a way to prevent a war if he ever considers declaring one." responded Astrid. "We've been in peace for nearly three years ever since the Dragon attacks just… stopped. We can't have another war."

Hiccup looked up at the blonde girl. "The Dragons used to attack you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was three years ago during the winter that the biggest Dragon raid ever came at our doorstep. It was all of Berk against a hundred Dragons, and back then the ordinary raids would have at least fifteen to twenty of them."

Hiccup leaned forward in interest. "Go on."

"When they came in their final and biggest wave, something happened unexpectedly." she said, drifting her mind into thought. "You see… just as we were about to charge them - they all gave instantly at that moment. Most of them nearly dropped to the ground while others were floating there in the air as if they were sleeping."

"And then what happened?"

"Well, they dropped all of our livestock and food and just flew off into random directions. One of our warriors even claimed that a Dragon calmly circled them before it licked them, then it just flew off. I think they said it was a small Gronckle? Either way, it's difficult to believe."

"Hmph." chuckled Hiccup. "Well on the topic of Dragons, the Vikings in Scandinavia don't believe in them, even though they're in fairy tale stories. There's the Nadders, Gronckles, Zipplebacks, and Nightmares."

"Hah!" laughed Gobber. "Tha's just four outta tha many Dragons from tha Beuk of Dragons. There's dozens of 'em in it."

Hiccup arched a brow. "Okaaaaay." he replied in a long tone. "Now, back onto the topic of Ivar. If we're to prevent having a war with him then there has to be a way in which he cannot find me… you're not going to kick me off Berk, are you?" he said, turning his head to Snotlout.

The Heir shook his head. "No. Only my fifteen year old foolish self would've done such a decision. When I became Heir, the Chief taught me a lot about becoming an Heir and acting like one. For many years in my life I have done wrong which I have now remade right, and fixed our people that once stood broken. It was one word that he taught me."

"Wisdom. No matter the situation, never forget it."

He spun his gaze to the door, nearly making his way out before he stopped halfway and looked at Gobber and the other young Vikings.

"Make sure Hiccup is kept out of sight. Keep him safe and protected. I have to tell the Chief about our discovery, and I will do my best to convince him not to kick him off. After all, he's been depressed for eighteen years ever since he lost his son and wife, and he's never been the same despite some of the things he taught me..."

"What were their names?" asked Hiccup.

"...His depression caused him to forget, though I'd rather not talk about it. He doesn't like it when I or anyone else brings it up. But regardless, for now remain here." He then proceeded to make his way out the door, leaving Hiccup with Gobber and the others.

…

* * *

"So, where did you get the sword?" asked Astrid as she stared at the sheathed blade around Hiccup's waist, noticing the blue fabric around the hilt. She assumed it was likely for a better grip.

"It was Magnus' blade." he said, sipping on a warm bowl of stew. "It's the lightest I've ever carried, and yet the metal is also the strongest I've ever wielded."

"Ooh! How strong exactly? Can it shatter a yak's horns?" asked Tuffnut, joining in as he leaned closer in his chair.

"Well… maybe." replied Hiccup. "But what I do know is that it can shatter another weapon such as a sword."

Ruffnut splurted at the scrawny Viking's claim. "Now that's yak dung!" she said. "I doubt someone scrawny like you can shatter an iron weapon made by the best smithy around these parts!"

"I'm a smithy too you know. Or well at least the assistant of one, in this case it was Magnus."

"Oh really?" she asked.

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yup."

"Well then, if you think you can shatter a weapon then let's make a test and find out. Tuff!" she called out to her brother, and the blonde twin took out his secondary weapon, that being his sword.

"I call the first move!"

The young Viking sighed. "If you insist." he said, sticking his sword out vertically for Tuffnut to strike.

All noises in the room ceased as many pairs of eyes gazed upon Tuffnut and Hiccup. The blonde Viking raised his blade with two hands near his shoulder and prepared to strike at the shiny blade which Hiccup held up. With both hands he gripped the hilt tight and then let out a weird roar as he brought the iron blade down and across against Hiccup's sword.

The blades collided, and nothing happened. Tuffnut arched a brow as he noticed a couple of splinters of metal fall off his sword which were slightly bended. Though he disregarded it and began to pretend that it came from Hiccup's sword.

"Hah! Splinters of metal shattered from your blade!" he mocked in a failing manner. "My sword is the strongest!"

"Hmph, strange." replied Hiccup. "Those splinters are darker than the metal that my blade is made of… but if that is what you wish to think, so be it. Raise your sword."

Tuffnut gave a chuckle, raising his sword vertically like Hiccup did as he prepared the blow from the scrawny Viking, expecting for nothing to happen. What followed next was unexpected however as Hiccup with only his right hand pulled his sword back and struck with a fast blow against Tuffnut's sword, aiming at the upper part of the blade.

A loud clang of metal along with the shattering of iron struck loudly in everyone's ears as nearly half of the blade went flying, striking and impaling itself against the wooden wall behind the blonde Viking.

Tuffnut's eyes remained widened and his jaw dropped, switching his gaze between what remained of his blade and where the other half flew to. He dropped the broken sword to the ground and raised his hands up in submission, willing to accept that Hiccup was right.

"Alright, H. You were right." he said admittingly. "...Gods I need a sword like that."

"I'm impressed." complemented Astrid. "Magnus' weapon must be of equal skill with Gobber's craftsmanship, and I'm sure if he made that iron sword the same way Magnus did with the same metal then maybe they'd both be of equal skill."

"Well, he never specified what kind of metal he used, like I said before." replied Hiccup. "Though who knows, maybe one day we will find out ourselves… or maybe, just maybe, Magnus himself knows the secret."

A sigh followed from the auburn haired Viking as he looked down. "Though I can't imagine what _more_ he is going through right now aside what I've seen…"

…

* * *

Ivar sliced his dagger across Magnus' face, and the older Viking let out a growl as he attempted to absorb some of the pain, though it was somewhat surprising that it wasn't a scream.

"Are you done giving me lies, or should I give you more than what I've already given you, prisoner?" the Chieftain asked as he leaned in his chair.

Magnus was bound to a table with his hands shackled in irons. He was tied in a chair and had been tortured for hours with little water and food provided to him, though that was also through means of torturing methods.

"I'll ask you again. Where is your slave Hiccup? Where, is, THIS ARCHIPELAGO!?" he bellowed, stabbing the knife into the wooden table in-between one of Magnus' fingers. The former smithy turned his bruised and cut face towards Ivar, and said three words to him.

"Go... to Helheim…"

Ivar's brows lowered. He inhaled deeply and pulled his right hand back, giving Magnus a rough backhand across his face as his prisoner flinched back in pain, with blood splashing out of his mouth from the impact. Still he refused to falter to the Chieftain of the Völsung.

His face was now a foot away from Magnus.' "I won't ask you again, wretch." he said with a disgruntled voice. "WHERE IS IT-!?"

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall slammed wide opened, and in came Olaf, who before going in gave a knock against the wall as Ivar turned to notice him. He gave a nod to the Slavemaster and the large Viking came in swiftly.

Ivar then grabbed the knife and pulled it out from the wooden table, taking a sheet of cloth and wiping the blade off of all the blood that covered it. Magnus' blood.

His face turned to a normal expression. "Any news, Olaf?" he asked the Slavemaster. "I assume that you found the girl which our little traitor-friend Magnus here spoke of?"

Olaf shook his head. "We have not a single trace on finding her. She hides too well in the shadows, and we even checked all of the taverns and most of the huts on Kattegat. But still, that isn't the reason I am here, Chieftain."

"Oh?"

The muscular Viking stepped forward with a map in his hands, and Ivar arched his brow. Usually his warriors didn't rely on maps and mostly they used the sun to pinpoint their position in the day. After all, it rose from the east and it set in the west. Olaf then placed the map on the table in front of Ivar, unrolling it and flattening it out.

"What is it you want to show me?" he asked the Slavemaster. "Another land dispute of some sort or something?"

"No, Chieftain." he replied, shaking his head. "This map here which some of our scouts use was given over to me by the captain of a returning ship whom had two scout longships following."

Ivar rubbed his chin. "A small scouting fleet?" he asked, and Olaf gave a nod.

"I was given information from the captain about something new he discovered out at sea." He pointed his finger towards a newly drawn cloud which was made from charcoal. "The captain said that his fleet was initially made up of six scouting longships that was sent out days ago. That was of course before four of them sank. They were intercepted by…"

Ivar crossed his arms. "Yes?"

"I don't know how I can believe this but- he said fiery winged beasts. He then continued going onto saying how they came out of nowhere in a small pack of about five or six of them, and that they were just like those things from the fairy tales we tell our young."

The young Chieftain gave a small chuckle. "So." he began, tilting his head to Magnus. "The Dragons do indeed exist after all." he said, turning his attention back on the map. "So, the scouting fleet was ambushed by Dragons. And then what happened?"

"Eventually the four longships did sink due to the lack of artillery and archers, all they had was axemen. However in response they were able to take down four of the Dragons before the two remaining flew off. They chased the flying reptiles, until they ran aground."

"Aground!?" gasped Ivar. "Where did they…"

"Apparently they found an island past this fogbank, shrouded by mists and more dense fog. Then the captain said the Dragons flew off again before he and the remaining crews started the voyage back to Kattegat."

An evil glare began growing on Ivar's face. "And you didn't send them back out there… and allowed them to WITHDRAW!?" he screamed, shouting into the Slavemaster's face from his chair before which caused the large Viking to jump back startled.

"Make ready for an invasion fleet!" he ordered clearly to the Slavemaster. "Olaf you and our best Völsung warriors will pave our way, for our scouts have finally found our missing target! And if there are indeed other Tribes out there, then whatever that is beyond this fogbank is now ripe for the taking! The Archipelago exists!"

He then raised the dagger, and before stabbing it into the map he shouted; "Storm the islands, find Hiccup, AND PAINT THIS NEW ARCHIPELAGO RED WITH BLOOD!"


	9. An Unexpected Encounter

**Before beginning, a thanks to BrawlerGamer and MrsMagnusB for reviewing on the previous chapter! You guys are still great as usual - and remember, if any of you readers out there have a question that you'd like to ask me based in the story then feel free to PM me or ask it in your review, and I'll answer ASAP!**

 **Also, this chapter will focus around Hiccup and Astrid as their bond of friendship slowly begins to form. There isn't any Hiccstrid _yet_ , but I promise that there will be in the future.**

 **But anyways, no more delaying! Let us continue onwards!**

* * *

"Chief, I'm telling you, he comes from the lands south of the Archipelago. The lands which we in our time never thought had existed. From Scandinavia he-"

"Bah! There's no such place, Snotlout." interrupted Stoick. "It's nothing but a fairy tale and myth made up by Vikings all around. There is no Scandinavia!"

For nearly two hours Snotlout had been discussing with Stoick on the possibility of the danger Hiccup spoke about coming from Scandinavia. He mentioned Ivar the Boneless, he mentioned Hiccup and his perspective from where he came from, and he even mentioned the Great Heathen Army and the Völsung Clan - and yet Stoick didn't believe the young Jorgenson.

"There are Vikings down there too, Chief. Hiccup explained how they never thought that our Archipelago or our presence ever existed. What is there to disagree about if-"

"The truth is that whatever this _Hiccup_ brought up, it is nothing but lies. The way I hear it is the same way that Gobber described to us about the 'famed' Dragon known as the Boneknapper."

Snotlout gave a sigh at the mighty Viking. "Chief, it'd be easier to believe if you would just listen like as much you used to all those years ago when I became Heir. Didn't you say wisdom was a key element to making a good Heir? A good Chief?"

"There is a difference between wisdom and common sense, Snotlout." replied Stoick. He then leaned forward in his throne, gazing directly at Snotlout.

"Wisdom is the use of your mind, the use of your own knowledge in a case that is needed for deep thought, young Heir. Common sense here is all that applies however, and it is obvious as it's _flying right in front of us!_ I don't need to think on the matter, and it's simple to say that there is no danger lurking near us."

"Peace doesn't last forever, Chief. One day a war will come."

"And when it does, I will know. And the difference there will be between us and our enemy is that we will win."

Snotlout shook his head at those words, and he stepped forward closer to Stoick. "We won't win when the Great Army comes with over a thousand Vikings at our doorstep being led by the most ruthless and feared Viking of our time! We need to act now, Stoick! We can't just-"

"ENOUGH!" exclaimed the Chieftain, slamming his fist against the right arm of his throne before standing.

"I don't want to hear another word from you, Snotlout. From what I've heard so far - it has been nothing but lies and made up facts. Many who have gone beyond the fogbank have never returned, and thus it is clear to say that there is no Scandinavia. There is no Great Heathen Army, and there is no Viking known as Ivar the Boneless. There never was."

The young man slightly dropped his jaw, not in surprise or shock, but in disappointment for Stoick being unable to see reason. "But-"

"I don't want to hear it." he interrupted. "You're dismissed. Get out of my sight, and do not bring this up again. I have had enough time wasted today listening to you talk about a fairy-tale-land."

Snotlout sighed as he spun himself around, beginning to make his way out of the Great Hall. Once again he stopped in his tracks however, and he tilted his head and eyes towards the Chief.

"Can Hiccup at least stay? He has nowhere else to go."

Stoick grumbled. "As long as he doesn't cause trouble, he may stay on Berk and explore the island."

"For as long as he pleases?" asked Snotlout.

"...Maybe."

...

* * *

"And that's what happened before I left the Great Hall." sighed Snotlout.

"Strange." said Fishlegs, joining in the conversation. "I've never seen Stoick this arrogant before. I mean, I know he's sometimes arrogant but at a level like this it's-"

"Unexpected?" answered Hiccup, receiving a nod from the Ingerman.

"Eh, maybe he's just tired. There was tha' meeting he 'ad with the Council last night, an' I will say, it did last many hours." replied Gobber. "Though all it was really was tha discussion of las' months income of gold. Tha Chief nearly fell outta his throne from exhaustion."

"Well, what bothers me the most right now is that because your Chief… Stoick, refuses to believe the truth about Ivar's possible coming, he's leaving himself and everyone else unguarded."

Astrid nodded in agreement. "And the only thing that would truly stand in Ivar's way as a challenge if he would ever get here would be… well, just us." she pointed out. "Though I don't know why Stoick has lowered Berk's guard recently."

"Don't underestimate Ivar." replied Hiccup. "Though he is a cripple, he is still an excellent fighter, especially his warriors. We'd have little hope of facing him if he ever reached Berk."

Fishlegs arched a brow. "And if we surrender?"

"He would still kill you." replied Hiccup. "Or make you into a slave like I was. Either way, the best we can do right now is hope that he doesn't find us."

Gobber gave a sigh as he stood from his seat. "Well, say what ya want, lad. I've gotta go an' sort out tha weapons at my Blacksmith. The Chief'll be easily pissed if he sees 'em outta order again." Hiccup in response gave a nod at the blacksmith before waving his hand at Gobber who made his way out of the hut.

"Eh, same here. Might as well go too." said Tuffnut. "I'd rather play stack the yak than sit here doing nothing. C'mon, Sis!"

"With pleasure, dear brother." replied Ruffnut. The two then giggled creepily as they made their way out as well, with Fishlegs and Snotlout soon following with their own excuses. After that it left just Hiccup and Astrid alone in the room.

"Well…" began Astrid. "This, is a little bit awkward."

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "This kinda reminds me of the moments when Magnus and I were alone talking. Though after all, he was like a brother to me."

"I see." she said. "And how old was your friend?"

"Twenty five years old. Seven years older to be exact, though I never viewed him as a fatherly figure."

"And why wasn't he there for you when you needed him the most? I mean, you did tell us that the citizens of the city which you came from abused you and viewed you worthless."

Hiccup rubbed his hand on his shoulder where a bruise mark was. "Oh he was there for me." he told her. "The only problem was that he was unable to in a way fight back physically, as that would've shown him to be treasonous for assault."

"So I guess he kept low until the time was right?"

The scrawny Viking shrugged. "Maybe. Because soon enough he, I, and his friend Eira found ourselves slaying guards after that. He showed his hand to Ivar to save me, to get me out of Kattegat. Though obviously you know, and I need not to explain the story again… am I?"

"Nope." giggled Astrid. "Though… there is something I want to ask you."

Hiccup bowed his head. "Sure, anything. I'm all ears."

Astrid slightly leaned forward towards the young Viking. "Do you want to go out and explore the wilderness?" she asked with a grin. "I'm sure you'll like Berk's landscape. There's forests, beaches, green plains, and even cliffs and hills."

"...Sounds like something I once saw in a dream." he said. "Blue sky I guess?"

"Yep."

"White clouds flying over?"

"That too." she answered. "Though I guess we could take a moment to look up in the sky and take in a breath of fresh air."

A smile started to form on Hiccup's face. "Alright." he said in a hearty chuckle. "Then I guess I'll come along. Seeing as how a grey sky back in Kattegat has been enough for me, I might as well witness a blue one, but you can go ahead and pick where you want to start."

"Great!" she replied. "But first let me go tell Gothi. She wouldn't want you to leave without me telling her you're-"

"I know." he said. "...Now, where's my cloak?"

...

* * *

Hiccup stood by and watched as Astrid's axe went hurling at a tree, hitting the trunk directly and impaling itself in the wood about a few inches deep. He chuckled, turning to face her with a smile.

"You're quite the axe-thrower, eh?" he complimented.

"I've been training in this for years." she replied. "When it comes to this kind of stuff, I'm a bit rough around the edges. Overall though, I guess you could say that I am decent at it."

Hiccup shook his head. "You're not rough at all. In fact, I think you have great skill when it comes to wielding an axe. Though I will say…"

It was then his gaze immediately fell to the whole of Astrid's weapon. He inspected the structure of the weapon from top to bottom and he gave a confused look. He didn't recognize an axe that ever had a double-edged and larger blade.

"I'm not familiar with that kind of axe." he said, rubbing his chin. "Who made it for you?"

"Gobber." she answered to the curious Viking. "Though how exactly is this structure unfamiliar? Don't the Vikings down in Scandinavia use _these_ axes?"

Hiccup gave a shrug. "Mmm… not exactly. An axe from a Scandinavian Viking has only a single edge rather than two, thus only one blade. If you're using a one-handed or a throwing axe, the blade will be smaller. If it's a great-axe however, it will be a little bit bigger - but still not as big as the ones you carry around here."

"So then I guess _you guys_ rely more on accuracy?"

The smile on Hiccup started to fade a little bit from hearing Astrid's words. "I'm not one of them, Astrid." he said to her clearly. "And... nor do I want to ever become a part of their sickening society ever again. They're not _true_ Vikings, just barbarians. You shouldn't consider me to being one of them, Astrid."

"Oh…" sighed Astrid. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it." he replied to her in a more calm tone. "Just don't mention me being one of them, alright?"

She nodded back at Hiccup, and quickly the smiles on their faces began to come back to them as they moved on from throwing axes at trees.

As they walked along the forest's mountain stream, they were eventually met with an opening and were immediately surrounded by open plains, with rolling hills lying in front of them. It was a long walk, that was for certain, but where they were reminded Hiccup of one of his dreams.

He inhaled a fresh breath of air.

"Ah…" he exhaled deeply. "Okay, I've seen everything."

Astrid gave off a small splurt laughter. "Trust me, this is only part of what you've seen. Berk is unlike any island you'll find out in the Archipelago. There's none better."

"And I have to agree." replied Hiccup.

A moment of awkward silence followed after that. The two of them looked at each other and then stared off into a random direction before they would slowly face to put their gazes on each other. Then it would just repeat all over again a few times, until Astrid spoke.

"So… do you want to go from here?"

"I guess we could lie down on one of the hills, and look up at the clear blue sky."

Both of them nodded in agreement, and the two calmly made their way towards and up one of the rolling hills where they could take a glimpse at the sky and have a moment of relaxation and tranquility.

Once again, Hiccup's mind somewhat took over and gave him a slight Deja-Vu moment as if this too was from one of his dreams during his travel at sea.

At the top of the hill, the two laid down and looked up towards the sky. It was somewhat cloudy, but there was still some blue as well. From this, Astrid slightly giggled as her thoughts from the past came flooding back into her mind.

"I remember looking up in the sky and glancing at the clouds when I was just a kid." she said. "I would lay down here with my father and the two of us would play a game called; 'Spot the Dragon.' Seems childish, I know, but I was just a little girl after all."

"Well, we all have our childhoods, that I can say." he replied to her. "So, how does this game work, exactly?"

"Well…" she began. "All you do is stare at a cloud that appears as the Dragon you think it is, then you say that you see for example… a flying Gronckle, or a roaring Nightmare, and then the person next to you must spot it. Though nowadays I prefer throwing my axe at trees for my pastime, as well as do this thing I call _parkour_."

Hiccup looked back at her. "Par-what?"

"Parkour." she said again. "It's something that requires using movement and skill, and basically acrobatics - though I won't go into further detail."

Her eyes spun back from Hiccup and towards the clouds. "Though you know what, I guess would could give the Spot the Dragon game a try. I could always do with some good nostalgia from my childhood."

"Alright, I guess you can go first." replied Hiccup, and he slightly blushed whilst he tried his best to maintain his distance from Astrid.

The blonde girl scanned the sky, going from cloud to cloud with her glance until she saw a Dragon that caught her attention, and she gave a chuckle. "Alright. Here we go." she began.

"I see a Dragon whose spikes are let out from their tail. A Nadder who is ready to fight, and whose mouth is releasing fire." she described to Hiccup. "Try to spot it out if you can, Hiccup."

"Alright." he said, clearing his throat. He then began inspecting the blue sky and the white fluffy clouds for the image that Astrid described:

A Deadly Nadder with their tail spikes up and readied to be launched, along with their fiery breath. He started from his top left view, moving to his top right, and he slowly made his way down in a zig-zag cross with his eyes motioning it.

Eventually he was met with a cloudy figure near the center-right that looked like a Dragon that had spikes coming out from behind their head, along with a tail raised and a mouth opened that was shooting out white clouds which Hiccup assumed was the fire.

He pointed his finger to where he saw Astrid's Nadder. "Is that it?" he asked.

Astrid smiled and gave a nod. "Like I said, it's not really that hard - especially since we're not children." she joked, earning a small laugh from Hiccup. "Now, you go ahead and pick out yours."

Once again, the scrawny Viking turned his gaze towards the clouds. He used his mind to make a picture on the Dragons he knew from the 'fairy tales' that were told back in Scandinavia. Going from left to right and right to left, he soon spotted the figure of a Dragon, but… it wasn't one he recognized.

This particular one had their wings spread wide out. It's head-shape wasn't familiar, and it seemed to be flying perfectly with their four paws bended inward. It's tail was also strange because he only spotted one fin at the end of it.

He shook his head, thinking he was imagining, and then he lied to Astrid on what he saw. Instead he described a Monstrous Nightmare. "I see a Dragon whose horns at their forehead count more than two. Their teeth show out, and their body is aflame."

Astrid arched a brow at Hiccup. "A Nightmare? Don't I see it right there-?"

Her eyes widened before she could finish. They were caught in a totally different direction from where Hiccup saw his cloudy figure as she noticed a flying dot coming closer, getting bigger and bigger. Worse, the thing was coming directly towards them, and she could easily see that it was lit on fire, knowing instantly what it was.

"Hiccup." she started.

"Yes?"

She quickly got up on her feet, motioning him up. "...Run."

"What?"

"RUN!"

At first, Hiccup didn't understand what Astrid meant by run, but it wasn't long until he realized what she meant when he heard a loud roar coming from the sky, and he turned around and saw a Monstrous Nightmare flying down towards them. Angered.

The two ran for it and sprinted away as fast as they could, trying to stay ahead of the raging and flaming Dragon that had flew out from the clouds. "Is THAT the _cloud_ you spotted!?" called out Astrid.

"No! There's a huge difference between a cloud, and an ACTUAL DRAGON- LOOK OUT!"

A fiery blast came down from the beast's mouth, hitting the ground a few feet away from Astrid. The two then shifted their position and began running to the left, but the Dragon still kept following them.

"Astrid! When was the last time you saw a Dragon!?" Hiccup called out.

"That was three years ago, quite a long time ago!" she answered back, still running with her rushed adrenaline. "We need to outrun this thing!"

Soon enough the two were nearing the forest, and to their luck there was a large boulder for them to hide behind if the Nightmare was to use it's fire.

"Hide behind there!" she pointed out. "If that thing unleashes all of it's fire, we may have a chance!"

It was then that the Dragon landed behind them with it's wings spread out, and their body set on fire. The light in it's mouth soon began to light up orange, and the two young Vikings jumped on the other side of the boulder as flames enveloped _around_ the large rock.

"Feels like an adventure again!" Hiccup said loudly. "An adventure of never-ending conflict!"

The two sat there waiting for the flames to eventually dim down, and after a minute's worth of waiting the fires from the Nightmare soon ceased, and the large rock which Hiccup and Astrid hid behind was nothing but rubble as it cracked into pieces. To Hiccup however, that was quite the firestorm.

The two slowly stood up to face the Dragon, but the mighty beast had not given up yet. It's wings were still spread out and it's fires were still lit up inside it.

"Any ideas!?" Hiccup called out, receiving a 'no' from Astrid as the shield maiden shook her head.

"We might as well stand and fight! We will get out of this one way or another!" she said, unsheathing her axe and pointing it out at the Dragon. "Come on then, beast! Come at us! I'll be happy to-"

Another sudden roar from the sky immediately caught their attention, even the Nightmare's. It echoed all around, but the position from where it came from was unclear. At first no one seemed to recognize it - it was very distant and it made the sound similar to a few Dragons. But then, Hiccup's thoughts flooded his mind once more.

He remembered the dream. A black Dragon. That same exact roar. And then… a loud shriek followed by-

And then it hit him.

"That roar..." he said to Astrid. "I recognize that roar from my dreams! It was a-"

Another roar interrupted Hiccup as loud screech soon followed. It got louder and louder and it shrieked into their ears, and then that the two saw it. A black dot flying through from the clouds that came hurling down towards them at a very fast speed.

They both looked at each other and reacted by running into the opposite direction, away from the black Dragon as fast as they could, though no matter how fast they ran the Dragon was still faster than them. So, they both dropped to the ground, flat on their stomachs.

The Nightmare on the other hand roared at the speeding Dragon, and soon enough a fiery blast of blue-purple flames hit the Monstrous Nightmare on impact, and the Dragon roared in pain as the mysterious, black Dragon, went flying back into the sky, leaving the Nightmare who gave off a whined roar as it too went flying off.

Hiccup looked back up. The two Dragons were now gone, yet it surprised him that the black Dragon wasn't aiming for _them_ , but rather the Nightmare. He then switched his glance over to Astrid as he offered a hand. Her body shook nervously as she reached out to grab his hand, and she stood up looking to the skies.

"What Dragon was that, Astrid?" he asked her.

"Th- That was a… a Night… F- Fur…"

Before she could even finish, she felt her sight blacken and her skin run cold with tension and shock, feeling her body go limp before she went hurling down to the ground, and she felt a pair of arms grab her at the last second...


	10. The Unholy Offspring

**Right, before beginning I'd like to remind you that there will be a time skip in this chapter as a certain event will happen here which will help out one of our main protagonist characters.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter, and a bigger thanks to everyone for getting this story to a milestone of over 5,000 views which now lies at 5.6 thousand! You guys are insane, and great! :)**

 **Now, let's begin chapter 10, shall we?**

* * *

"Astrid…" a voice called out. The young Viking's head was laid against a small boulder as she rested in the meadows. Her vision was still blackened, but a voice continued to call out to her as her sense of hearing started to clear.

"Astrid, wake up!" the voice called out again. Being able to make it out, the voice was that of a young man she recognized, and eventually her sight started to come back to her. Astrid opened her eyes and saw Hiccup with the rest of the group standing in front of her.

"Astrid, are you alright?" he asked, offering a hand to the lady.

She gave a sigh, placing a palm on her chest in relief. "I'm fine." she said, reaching out to grasp Hiccup's hand and helping herself up on her feet. Astrid then sat down on the boulder as she started to gather her thoughts on what happened.

Fishlegs stepped forward. "When Hiccup told us what happened we gave no question and came here as fast as we could. He left you here so that you'd be easy to spot."

"Aye." replied Hiccup. "The only one who was unable to get here though was… well, Snotlout. He said he was too busy doing his duties, so we had to go on without him."

Astrid shook her head. "That doesn't matter." she sighed. "What matters is what I saw. That… black Dragon. It's been years since we saw it, and it…"

"It frightens you?" Hiccup asked her, receiving a nod in response. He crossed his arms. "I've seen it before in my dreams. I just never knew what it was or where it came from. Though… why are you so scared of it?"

Astrid splurted in a sarcastic laugh. "Why aren't you?" she asked him. "Do you not know what they say when you see one of those Dragons? _Hide and pray it does not find you_."

From hearing that quote the Twins and Fishlegs began to shake in tension. It was at that moment that the three knew what Dragon that Astrid was talking about. "Impossible…" the Ingerman said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe it what I'm hearing either." replied Ruffnut. Her tone sounding more serious this time. "I thought it was gone for good. First the Nightmare, and now _this_? What has this world come to?"

Hiccup gave a small grunt. "Will someone please tell me what in Odin's name we are talking about here?"

The four young Vikings exchanged looks, staring at each other for a bit on whether they should tell Hiccup what exactly they were going up against here. After all, it was a Dragon - but not any ordinary Dragon…

"Alright, Hiccup." began Astrid. "If you really want to know. This thing is a…"

…

* * *

"Night Fury." she said to Hiccup, dropping the Book of Dragons right in front of him as the five sat at a table in the Great Hall. Astrid being the closest to him.

Hiccup arched a brow as he slowly opened the book, immediately being introduced with the first Dragon. The obvious Monstrous Nightmare. He then began flipping through and saw more Dragons, some of which he didn't recognize at all. To him it was obvious that these Vikings were keeping track of their Dragons.

"You've recorded many Dragons in this book…" said Hiccup, his eyes widening more as he slowly made his way through each page. "You guys have been studying, haven't you? ...Thunderdrum, ...Timberjack, ...Scauldron, Changewing?"

So far the dragons he saw from the book so far gave him a sense of suspense, and it was then he began flipping quicker through the pages. "Whispering Death... Boneknapper, Speedstinger, Flightmare, Snaptrapper, Singetail, Seashocker, Smokebreath, Snow Wraith, and…"

Hiccup's eyes had suddenly landed on a page. He was facing a frightening Dragon whose mouth and body looked as if it were covered in lightning. Its teeth as sharp as a dagger - as well as its spikes behind its neck and head. The picture itself sent chills down his spine.

"A Skrill…" he shivered. "I wouldn't want be around those."

Astrid nodded. "That Dragon is considered to be _a near_ rival of the Night Fury as we've seen both of them in action before from the nightly raids, and they're powerful." she said. "We identify those two as the mighty Strike class Dragons. But the Night Fury - well, we don't really know about... You'll see when you read it's page."

He nodded whilst continuing in flipping through the pages, over and over until he finally landed on the last page. Barely anything written in it as well as no drawing. Just a few notes.

" _Night Fury._ " his voice shook. "Speed: _Unknown._ Size: _Unknown… The Unholy Offspring of lightning and death itself... Never engage this Dragon. Your only chance: hide and pray it does not find you._ "

He looked back at the group, his face lit up and his eyes widened. "When was the first time you encountered such a dangerous beast? This Night Fury, I mean it's just…" He stopped for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

"It was at us for years back when the Dragon raids were a thing." answered Astrid. "It never stole food, never showed itself in the day or night, and it never missed its target. Though what surprised me was that this Dragon ceased it's attacks earlier when the Dragons stopped the raids. I don't remember when it _exactly_ happened, but at first I shrugged it off."

Fishlegs sighed. "Well, I kinda find it strange that it didn't attack you." he said. "Don't Dragons hate Vikings? Why would it go after another of its kind? There has to be an explanation."

"Hmm… maybe it has a mind of its own? Perhaps it thinks things differently?" Hiccup suggested, though he didn't receive a nod or a response from anyone. "Regardless though, we need to figure out what that Night Fury was doing here."

"And how do you suppose we're going to find it?" asked Tuffnut. "I mean, didn't you say that thing flew away?"

"I noticed that when it escaped, it flew straight up into the clouds from where it was, hiding it's sight from us, which may give us a clue to indicate where it is."

Tuffnut arched a brow. "Uh… we can't fly."

Hiccup gave off a sigh. "We aren't going to fly." he said. "If it hid itself in the clouds to prevent us from seeing where it went, then we know it flew elsewhere from there - somewhere much closer than we think it is."

The shield maiden sitting next to the scrawny Viking placed a hand on her chin, rubbing it in thought. If the Dragon was closer than they thought it was, then maybe they already have a clue on where it is. "So maybe it's…" she began, only to have Hiccup finish with:

"Somewhere on Berk."

…

* * *

 _ **3 days later...**_

Magnus sat tied to a chair with his hands held behind his back. For days he had been beaten nearly unconscious, with his body bruised and bloody, and his sight hazzy and unclear. At first, he didn't know where he was as he was blindfolded.

Then, he heard slow knocking against the wooden planks of the floor which his feet laid upon. He could hear a few pairs of footsteps approach him, followed by the voice of a man speak to him.

"Wake up, prisoner!" he said. "It's time that you are dealt with once and for all. After all, you are nothing but a traitor."

Immediately memories began flooding back into his mind from the night before. He now remembered. He was ordered for execution by Ivar and he had specifically told his men to sail him out to sea where they would drown him. That meant he was on a ship out in the ocean.

'Damn it…' he thought to himself.

The blindfold was removed from his head, and he could see where he was. Aboard a double-sailed longship out at sea, and it was in the middle of nowhere with a crew of barbarians.

Before him stood four Vikings. Two axemen and two shield maidens looking at him with glares underneath their helmets. Magnus couldn't tell who was who as their faces were covered, though it was obvious that he didn't know any of them.

That didn't matter however. His life was about to end drowning in the ocean as it would soon become his watery tomb. What point was there for him to worry if by now his life was meaningless? He looked up to the axemen, likely the captain, and he said to him:

"Let's just get this over with, barbarian."

The captain gave an evil grin. "Eager to end your suffering, already?" he asked the former blacksmith. "I was about to give you one last drink before you fell in the ocean… Bah! What am I saying? There's plenty to drink down there in the sea… when you're dead! Hah haha!" he laughed.

The two others next to him laughed as well, one being a shield maiden and the other an axeman. One of them however caught Magnus' eyes as the other shield maiden wasn't laughing, but rather staring at him with squinted eyes.

"Gah, I could make jokes about you all day!" the captain laughed. "But despite my thoughts, Ivar's will shall be done! It must be done…"

The strong Viking walked over and grabbed Magnus' scrawny-like arm with a firm grip as he began dragging him over to the left broadside edge of the longship. This was it, wasn't it?

"Don't worry, though!" the captain chuckled. "If I awoke you too early, you will get all the rest you need as soon as you lie at the bottom of the ocean… resting lifeless! Aha haha!"

Magnus rolled his eyes from the captain's words, not giving a damn, and soon enough he was standing at the edge of the ship. Slowly he closed his eyes, and from there he allowed his mind to take over with his thoughts. He chanted quietly to himself one last prayer to the gods, standing there in silence as he awaited for the captain to push him off.

"Are there any last words you'd like to say before meeting your watery demise, traitor?"

At first, Magnus didn't respond. He stood there with his head facing up towards the sky, and his eyes still remained shut. Then, as he finished his prayer he opened his eyes and tilted his head sideways to eye the captain.

"If there's any hope for me right now, then I hope to Odin that my friend Eira comes and save me. If not, then I will gladly embrace the entry into Valhalla, where I shall live forever."

More silence followed after that. The captain gave a grunted sigh as he slowly walked forward to Magnus with his right hand held out. He then positioned his hand against the young man's back for a good push. He pulled his arm back and then shoved it forward towards Magnus' back, and then…

The captain missed. Instead Magnus was pulled back and thrown to the wooden deck by one of the shield maidens; which was in fact not their own. The three crew members looked at her with arched brows and widened eyes, and before they knew it, _their_ shield maiden was quickly met with a blade as the female warrior unsheathed her blade and slitted it at the enemy maiden's throat.

Blood came spilling out, and when Magnus attained full vision he caught a glimpse at the maiden who was now protecting him. He realized that it was the one who had been looking at him with a stare rather than laugh with the others, and instantly he recognized the young woman as she removed her helmet and dropped it to the ground.

"You didn't think I'd leave you behind?" asked Eira.

The captain gave a gnarl and unsheathed his axe. "Gah! Get her, you fool!" he ordered to the remaining axeman.

Immediately Eira and the axeman got into a fight, slicing their sword and axe at each other, and all the while - Magnus sat there and watched, waiting out the fight even though he wished to help - however the captain would soon lay his attention on the young man.

He gave a gnarl and charged at the tied up and downed Viking, and quickly Magnus backed up from the great axe wielding Viking. When the blade of the axe came down it missed and struck in between Magnus' legs, stabbing itself in the wooden deck of the longship.

Magnus gave a grin and started using his acrobatics. He rolled towards the captain's axe, but rather than going entirely around it he stuck his hands out once his back was turned, and heard the ropes from his bindings cut.

He stood up on both feet and gave a wide taunting smile at the captain, who in response roared in anger from the mocking Viking. Thankfully, a rack of weapons laid by, and Magnus quickly rushed for it as he pulled out a light one handed sword.

The captain however was now in a frenzy. With his might, he pulled the great axe out of the wooden planks as if he were lifting a short sword, and he rushed Magnus with rage and fury.

Magnus responded in lifted his sword when the blow came, and the two weapons collided with one another. A fight had now broken between the two.

Both Vikings continued to slice at each other with their weapons. The captain would make slow but powerful strikes against Magnus which resulted in giving the former blacksmith bad blows, but the hits from the captain struck against only his arms.

Magnus did not falter however. He used his speed as his advantage and was able to get off more hits than the captain. Using his acrobatics along with his agility, he struck his weapon out against the larger Viking while spinning around him, striking his blows at the arms, legs, and even a couple at the chest.

Eventually the fight would draw in Magnus' favor, but this angered the captain even more. Rather than continue fighting with his great axe - the brutal Viking threw his weapon aside and charged at the scrawny-like Viking, lifting him into the air by his neck with strangulation.

"I WILL BREAK YOU!" he roared in anger. "AND THEN YOUR BITCH FRIEND WILL BE NEXT!"

Magnus struggled from the pressure, but still he would not give in. He looked back at the captain in defiance and his brows lowered with his eyes flaring as if a fire was lit up in them.

"No… barbarian!" he replied slowly, but as he attained his voice he shouted loudly; "This time; I BREAK YOU!"

Magnus pulled his head back, and then with a quick and hard blow, he head-butted the larger Viking. From this the captain nearly fell over, but he dropped the young Viking to his feet. He struggled at first to stand up, but once he did, it was there and then that he would meet his end.

The scrawny-like Viking picked up the captain's great axe, and with his great strength focused into his hands and the weapon, he brought it down against the large man's neck, causing a small amount of blood to go flying against his face as the captain's head rolled across the deck.

Magnus then proceeded to wipe the blood off of his face with his hand, looking down at the corpse of the captain. "Good riddance." he said out loud.

Meanwhile, Eira had too finished facing her opponent who now laid dead with multiple stab wounds through the chest. Her face had streaks of her enemy's blood scattered all over, but she was able to wipe most of it off.

The two faced each other and Magnus gave a sigh of relief, smiling at the woman he thought he'd never see again. "What took you so long?" he asked her.

"I… never knew what they did to you, Magnus." she said. "I know I should have been there when you needed me the most and… gods, I'm so sorry for everything that Ivar has done to you… But you need not to worry since we're finally back together. And I will say; judging by those bruises and how you still stand, you took it like a true Viking, my friend."

The two of them responded in chuckles, and yet they both started to walk towards each other at a slow pace before stopping a few feet away, opposite from each other. In that moment they stared into their each other's eyes, showing off the same relief... and then they rushed to each other, dropping whatever weapons they had in their hands and met with a reuniting hug.

"I missed you so much, Magnus." she said quietly, and Magnus sighed at her words. "I missed you too."

…

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid had been at it for days now. Ever since they sighted the Night Fury from the Dragon attack they had attempted to follow it's trail, back and forth and back and forth as they went all over the island, but so far they were nearly clueless.

The two walked down a hill following a trail in the forest. It was a cold foggy day, but not as cold as it was back in Kattegat which to Hiccup was surprising since Berk was located more north.

"Do you see anything?" Hiccup called out.

"Nothing!" called back Astrid. "It's pretty foggy though, and I have to admit - we've been at this for days without any progress!"

Hiccup shook his head, unwilling to give up. "We have to keep looking!" he said. "Maybe we haven't explored all this island has to offer!"

Astrid sighed. "Alright… we'll keep trying!"

They both continued along the path, keeping their eyes peeled as they gazed all around them. Over their shoulders, from behind, and even up above them incase their target was flying overhead.

"So… the Night Fury." started Hiccup. "Is there like… any manual on it? Another book? Or maybe just someone who may have seen a Night Fury before?"

Astrid looked at him with a curious and confused face. She splurt out a chuckle. "Why would there be another book of Dragons out there?" she asked. "I doubt Bork would've made another book unless he had so much time on his hands. Not to mention that there is probably no other Night Fury out there."

"How would you know that?"

"Well, each Dragon will always have its own approach. A Night Fury could attack anyway it wanted - from a distance, in the night, behind the clouds, and so forth. I know this is the same one from all those years ago because… it just feels familiar, I don't know how."

Hiccup nodded in an underground look. "Well, hopefully we find that Dragon soon. Who knows if it could already be gone from this island by now, or-"

He immediately stopped in his tracks, staring forward at the view that laid before him. Though it wasn't the Night Fury he saw, he definitely noticed some of the wildlife was out of place. Trees bent, plants and grass stomped all over, and even some of them burnt to a crisp.

Astrid too stopped in her tracks as she noticed her friend staring off into the distance. "Hiccup. Are you okay?" she asked, and when her head rotated the way he was looking she instantly understood what he was eyeing.

They both whoa'd in unison, turning their gaze upon each other. "Maybe we should've brought the others along." said Astrid.

"Don't back down now, Astrid." replied Hiccup. "We still have yet to see where this leads."

Astrid gave a shrug of uncertainty, but regardless they continued along the path. The terrain felt more hilly as they continued along it, and it seemed like the fog was getting denser and denser as they went forward. Hiccup felt bolstered to go on, but Astrid was about to turn around.

"Hiccup!" she called out to him. "I can't see through this fog! I'm turning around, there is no way we can-"

"Wait!" he interrupted. "I think… I see an opening. An end to this path." He pointed out towards a ray of light shining through the fog, and this reignited Astrid's hopes as she was once again eager to follow Hiccup. Perhaps they were closer to the Dragon than they thought.

And it seemed Hiccup was right about the opening as they soon entered a clearing. Less fog surrounded them, and their sight was better for they were. The path however was narrow due to the two cliff sides that laid on both their left and right sides, thus they had to squeeze themselves through. But eventually, they reached an area that not even Astrid recognized.

The two stood atop a small rocky cliff, and before them stood a beautiful cove that had a lake in the center and trees all around. The place seemed untouched as there wasn't a single trace of any Viking being here. The plants and meadows stood tall, and no boulder appeared to have been moved.

"Wow." smiled Astrid. She stared from top to bottom and from left to right of what her view could provide her, and already she was amazed.

Hiccup looked at her with a raised brow. "Did you know this was here?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I've never seen this place before." she replied with a surprised and wondered tone. "I don't think any Viking in our Tribe has ever been here. I mean just - look at this place, Hiccup!"

"I know, Astrid." he said with a happy tone. "This… this was the place I saw in my dream. Standing atop a rocky cliff with grass beneath my feet. A cloudy blue sky, and the wind blowing in my face. This view… I-"

Before he could finish, something else caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He squinted his eyesight and looked at what he saw was… a withered tree of some sorts? He couldn't tell as it was all black. Maybe it was just a rock? Unless…

He got a closer view with his eyes, and soon enough he realized what he was looking at. He gasped in shock as he turned to Astrid.

"Astrid… keep quiet and keep low."

She showed an expression of slight confusion. "Why?" she whispered. "There's nothing here to harm us, I doubt that anything could-"

"Yeah, well about that." he interrupted, pointing his finger out. "We aren't alone…"

His point would soon be proven to Astrid once her eyes fell on the black object. Suddenly it started to wiggle and then slowly move out of the position it was in, and a shape began to take form. Its wings spread out that would fold together, its paws getting into a comfortable position, and its tail and head waving in a motion until the shape of the black Dragon was finally clear.

Hiccup and Astrid had finally found the Night Fury, but the Dragon had also spotted the two Vikings sitting atop the cliff watching it, thus their cover had been blown.

"Oh gods." muttered Hiccup.


	11. The Viking Way

**Before beginning, I just want to say that this chapter will bond Hiccup and Astrid's friendship even closer from the scene you'll read based on the title, but there won't be any kissing/Hiccstrid from those two anytime soon as they've just met, but despite that I hope you guys will like this chapter.**

 **Also a quick thanks to BrawlerGamer, MrsMagnusB, and fs440(Guest) for reviewing on the previous chapter!**

 **Right, with that out of the way, let's begin this chapter!**

* * *

The Night Fury that stood before them down below eyed them with a curious face, unable to tell whether it was glaring or if it was just wondering about the two. When Hiccup realized they were spotted, he thought that perhaps it would've made a move against them.

Surprisingly, it didn't.

Instead it moved a little closer and just stood there, gazing at both of them with a tilted head.

Astrid leaned in a little bit closer. "It's… not attacking?" she asked. "...Maybe we should strike and take it out while we can. Eventually it will-"

"Wait." interrupted Hiccup, placing his hand on her shoulder as he pulled her back a little. "Maybe it's not hostile to us. It may be a Dragon, but perhaps it's not the same like that Nightmare we saw."

"They're all the same, Hiccup." she replied. "There isn't any difference between the Dragons aside the fact that-"

"Maybe not this one." he said, shaking his head. "Do you find it strange that it hasn't attacked us by now? The book said Dragons are kill on sight for Vikings, and Vikings kill on sight for Dragons. But what if this were not the case?"

Hiccup stood up straight from crouching as he removed his sheathed weapon from around his waist, placing it next to Astrid before he slowly started making his way down the steep rocky hill.

"Wait. What are you doing?" she called out.

Hiccup turned his eyes towards her, giving her a wink. "Just trust me on this one, alright?"

The Night Fury's full attention was diverted on Hiccup, staring at the young Viking as he made his way down. Still it didn't give an aggressive response, but rather it kept eyeing the young man with more wonder. Usually the Vikings approached it's kind armed with weapons and armor, but this one willingly unarmed himself. Why? From this the Dragon grew a little suspicious.

Soon enough Hiccup finally made his way down into the cove, and already he was but mere yards away from the black Dragon. Closer and closer he approached it, but at one point it got into a combat ready stance and slightly growled, giving a warning to the young Viking.

Hiccup raised his hands in front of him. "Hey, it's okay." he calmly said to the Dragon. "I'm not armed. I just want to know why you are here. What is it that brought you here, Dragon?"

Eventually Hiccup was but a few feet away from the Night Fury. He got closer and closer until the Dragon had decided to back off a little bit before it began making its way near the pond in the center of the cove, giving a pointing motion with its right front paw.

He arched a brow at the black Dragon, but nonetheless followed it towards the pond. Upon nearing it and seeing what it was gesturing at, he saw that there were shadows moving in the water, though he didn't know what it was at first. Upon further and closer inspection however, Hiccup could make out the silhouettes of many fish in the water.

The Dragon was hungry.

He turned to face the Night Fury. "Is that what you want? Are you hungry for fish?"

The Dragon made a motion with its tongue, obviously indicating that it was indeed hungry. Hiccup gave a nod at it and turned his eyes back into the water. "Alright, I'll try to get something for you to eat."

He proceeded to unlatched his cloak from his shoulders, allowing it to fall freely to the ground as he made his way into the water with caution, stopping until the water level was at least up to his knees.

Looking down into the pond he could see the fish more clearly. They flowed around the pond like a great swarm of Dragons, and some of them were even swimming around Hiccup's ankles. He knew that if he messed this up once, then the fish would just go swimming away from him at a fast speed.

The young Viking pulled up his sleeves from his brown cloth tunic, ensuring to himself that he would get a firm grip on one of them before the rest of them went off. Fortunately he spotted a few salmon fish that were swimming in front of him, and it almost seemed as if they were looking up at him in interest.

He leaned forward as slowly as he could without alarming them. His eyes set focus on one of them. He then quietly crouched forward with his arms out, and he moved his hands closer as they entered the water. It was then that he rushed forward at the fish as fast he could and then…

He lunged out of the pond as fast as he could - with something in his hands. As he looked down, he saw a fish flapping and flopping around in his hands, though eventually it became limp and lifeless. Quite the luck for him.

"Alright." he sighed, breathing somewhat quickly. "I got what you wanted!" he called out to the Dragon.

The Night Fury's eyes widened as it rushed towards Hiccup at full speed before stopping a couple of feet in front of the young Viking, and then it sat down in front of him.

"Here you go, Dragon." he said, raising the salmon he had in his hands towards the Night Fury.

The black Dragon approached slowly, and as it did its mouth opened widely which Hiccup had immediately found very intriguing, because all he saw in the reptile's mouth were it's gums. Didn't all Dragons have teeth?

"Huh… you're toothless. Didn't you previously have-?"

Suddenly the Dragon's teeth extracted from its gums, and Hiccup nearly jumped back startled. It took the fish from Hiccup's hands and violently it began munching on it like a wolf.

"Teeth." finished Hiccup.

The Night Fury slurped it's lips, turning it's gaze back onto Hiccup. He advanced onto the young Viking, and Hiccup backed up from the Dragon, though he would drop on his rear and fall to the ground, eventually being corned up to boulder.

"What? I- I don't have anymore." he said with a choked voice to the Dragon.

In response, the Dragon unexpectedly started to gag, and from its mouth it barfed out one half of the fish in Hiccup's lap, and the Viking gave a disgusted expression. "Eugh. Eww…"

He stared at the Dragon with disgust, but quickly he tried to hide his expression. He noticed that it's eyes were exchanging it's gaze between him and the half of the salmon it barfed out. At first Hiccup didn't understand what it was trying to say, but then he got the message clearly and he nearly gagged.

It wanted him to eat it.

Hiccup hesitantly picked up the slimy remain and slowly neared it to his mouth, though he didn't bite into it yet. He sniffed it and looked back at the Night Fury, and it gave a motion which to Hiccup was; 'Eat it.' With a strong stomach mustered up he opened his mouth and bit off a part of the fish, particularly from the skin as he wanted to eat as less as he could.

With his mouth full he gestured to the Dragon that he did as it asked him. "Mrph mrrllll." he murmured, but he wasn't done yet. The reptile then gave a gulping motion, which meant that Hiccup had to swallow it. This disgusted him even further, but with the will and strong stomach he had - he swallowed it, but not without nearly gagging.

He splurted from the vomiting taste, but the Dragon still looked at Hiccup with the same look. He then gave a quick smile at the Night Fury, and the reptile squinted it's eyes at Hiccup's grin.

A sudden smile started to show on the black Dragon as it started to get bigger and bigger, and soon enough a wide and cute smile was expressed on its face. Astrid who sat from above the cliff noticed this, and she immediately became amazed. She never saw a Dragon smile.

Hiccup was now intrigued with the creature. He wondered if he could give the Dragon a pat, and slowly he began reaching his hand out closer and closer to the Night Fury's head and then… and then in response it gave a quick growl before it ran off.

Hiccup gave a confused expression. "What the Thor was that?" he asked himself, followed by a gag. "Oh gods… I think I am going to be sick though..."

…

* * *

Dusk had fallen over Berk, and it rained lightly upon Hiccup and Astrid as they proceeded to the Great Hall where they expected a lot of food. A large feast had been held for all of Berk, and the villagers from all around were attending it as the day had marked Bork's birthday.

Making their way into the Great Hall, the sound of the doors opening wide caused many eyes to suddenly fall upon Hiccup and Astrid. Sure the two young Vikings were wet from the rain, but the villagers did not recognize Hiccup.

"Hey! Who is he?" one called out.

"I dunno. Never seen 'em before! another replied. "Is he from here?"

Astrid gave a grunted sigh, placing a hand on Hiccup to continue forward. "Just keep walking. Some Vikings around here can be really weird and curious." she whispered. "Also, we'll talk about the Dragon later…"

The two were fortunate to make out their friends sitting at a table near the Chief's throne, and happily Snotlout and the group waved to them.

"Welcome, guys!" he said with a hearty chuckle. "Please, come sit! Eat, drink!"

Hiccup and Astrid had no problem, and happily they went over to sit with the others who were feasting on meat and fish and stew, as well as drinking ale from wooden mugs - though for Hiccup, he had had enough that day with consuming fish and would likely vomit upon taking another bite from one of them.

Taking their seats, the two ate calmly and lightly at whatever was sitting on their plates, mostly chicken and yak. Though Hiccup drank somewhat heavily on the ale, at least not to the point where he would go tipsy and his mug going empty on the first shot.

"So…" began Snotlout. "Any luck finding that Night Fury? Fishlegs and the Twins told me everything about it."

Hiccup and Astrid's eyes widened. They looked at each other for a quick moment and then glanced back at Snotlout, shaking their heads in a 'no' before turning back to their plates.

"Huh. Shame." the Heir replied, but he shrugged it off and continued eating at his food.

Silence followed at the table, though the distant chatter from around the Great Hall filled in that silence - so, Hiccup gave a shrug to himself and started a discussion.

"So, any news?" he asked. "Does Stoick still believe Ivar is out there?"

"Not a bit." Snotlout sighed. "I even had Gobber back me up yesterday in convincing him of hearing the truth on Ivar's existence. His arrogance hasn't been on a scale like this before. He confuses wisdom and common sense in saying which is which… I sure hope his arrogance doesn't cost us."

"Did anything else happen after that?" asked Astrid.

"No, all he kept saying after he finished was; 'There is no Ivar the Boneless.' It's almost as if there's nothing that I can do."

"Hmm… what if I tried to convince him?" asked Hiccup.

Snotlout shook his head, refusing him to do so. "Don't. He'd probably smack you or throw you into a cell for days. I doubt there's much you can do by this point. Unless he had physical proof shown, he'd probably then believe it. Hel, if his son or wife were still alive then he would not deny their words."

"Maybe so." nodded Hiccup. "But there has to be at least some way we can prepare. If the Chief won't believe us, somebody has to. Otherwise, we'll stand no chance against Ivar."

"Not unless _we_ have something to say about that." Tuffnut replied dramatically. "I'll make his arms boneless if he tries to take Berk, and I'll-!"

Snotlout slammed his hand against the table. "Tuffnut!"

"Oh. Uhh… woops." he said, clearing his throat before he went off topic with Ruffnut.

"Is he… always like that?" asked Hiccup, and in response Snotlout nodded.

"I'm afraid so. The Twins are pretty weird among our village, but Tuffnut is the… weirdest. The two also like to headbutt their helmets together, and I will say - it seems pretty weird on its own as well-"

Suddenly a voice would interrupt Snotlout as well as everyone in the Great Hall as a man shouted; "Hey everybody! The minstrels are coming in to play! Haha!"

A large cheer immediately filled the Great Hall as a band of Viking minstrels came rushing into the center of the Hall. They had a lute, a fiddle with strings of horsehair, a drum, and a lyre. To Hiccup, he never imagined seeing such jolly attitude from Vikings.

Soon enough, the minstrels in the center began playing their instruments, and the villagers all around began clapping to the rhythm and beat of the tune that they were playing. Then, one of the minstrels started to sing.

" _There was a tavern down the hill,_

 _And from it Vikings drank their fill,_

 _They laughed and danced and cheered with ale,_

 _Until they sang about folktales._

 _One night the Chief came down to drink,_

 _And when he entered he gave a blink,_

 _He looked around and smelled the scent,_

 _And from there he threw a big event,_

 _For they drank and drank and to their likings,_

 _The Chief yelled loudly; 'To Berk my Vikings!'_

 _And then they went again!"_

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins cheered from the tune, and they themselves joined in the crowd as they started to dance in a drunken-like manner. Snotlout was in the center of the crowd earning cheers from the Villagers, Fishlegs was dancing in a funny way as if he were a Dwarf, getting laughs from the patrons, and the Twins danced on a long-table which got many people's attentions.

Hiccup and Astrid sat there, watching awkwardly as the four danced in the crowd as if they were drunk patrons themselves. At first, Hiccup wanted to leave the Great Hall and get some rest in his room back at Astrid's hut, though technically it was but a guest room. However, an arm then grabbed him and a smile spread on Astrid's face.

"Hiccup." she began. "Do you want to dance with me?"

"Uhh- Erm, I…" Hiccup's face began to slightly blush. He wasn't sure how to handle this situation since he didn't think himself as the lady's man. Though at the same time he didn't want to upset, so he said to her in a clear tone with a smile:

"Uh, sure I guess."

Astrid gave out a laugh of joy as she grabbed his hands with hers and they both ran to where the drunken patrons were dancing like Dwarves and jolly Vikings. They both stood somewhere in the crowd where there was space for them, and then they started to dance.

The two held on to each other, and Hiccup kept his eyes gazed upon Astrid's face as she kept her eyes on his face as well. The two were having a good old time as they danced, with their feet stomping on the ground, their hands holding on to each others waists, and their hands clapping on occasion as they jumped up into the air.

"Haha!" Astrid laughed again. "You're quite a dancer and patron, Hiccup!"

Eventually this began to draw attention. The patrons all around watched as Astrid and Hiccup danced to the minstrels' music, with the beat getting slightly faster. Even the four young Vikings stopped dancing to see the two dancing and having a fun time, and soon it all stopped.

The tune ended with the fiddle playing it's last note, and the drum making its final bang followed by the villagers cheering. Hiccup noticed that he was holding Astrid up in the air and that she held onto his shoulders, and then she willingly fell to the ground on her feet. He was having so much entertainment that he didn't entirely notice the actions he was doing, but nonetheless he felt proud.

"Haha! That lad did well!" one man called out.

"Who is he? I've never seen anyone dance like that before! Hah, he's truly a Viking, and a lady's man!" another Viking joked.

The two breathed intensely, catching their breaths as they both looked around. To Hiccup, he knew that already Berk was not bad of a place at all. It seemed he earned some respect from the villagers.

He gave himself a nod. "I'm going to like it here." he said, but not before he was met with an unexpected hug from Astrid...

…

* * *

Magnus looked down at the map that laid on a barrel as he steered the ship. Ever since they killed the guards and threw them overboard, he and Eira sailed Northwest from where they were, and Magnus had used the daylight sun to guide his direction. The map which he had was stolen by Eira from one of the guards, so both of them were fortunate.

"How far are we from Berk?" asked Eira.

Magnus looked down at the map, theorizing in his mind where they were, though he knew exactly where Berk was.

"If the winds are in our favor, then we'll reach Berk in a couple of days. That's two days at the very least, otherwise we might need to aim for five days."

Eira sighed. "Well, let's hope we can stay ahead of Ivar and his Great Heathen Army. Who knows how long it will take until they're all rallied."

Magnus immediately froze from her words. His face lit up. Did he just hear what he just heard, or was he going crazy? "The Great Heathen Army?" he asked. "But... I overheard him saying when I was imprisoned by him that he was just sending the Völsung's army to the Archipelago. He didn't-"

"That's not what I read when I snatched this off a rider who was ready to depart." she replied to him.

Magnus released the steering rod and walked hastily over to Eira who held a note in her hands. He quickly grabbed it and unrolled to read its contents. As he read it, a chill went down his spine.

...

" _Horse Rider,_

 _If you are reading this, then here is what you need to know;_

 _A new archipelago has been discovered located North of England, which is also Northwest of Scandinavia._

 _It holds many inferior Tribes of Vikings, as well as the flying winged beasts that we never thought existed._

 _The Dragons._

 _With these new islands opened for the taking - it is clear that we need more than the Völsung's army to conquer these lands._

 _Thus, you and your fellow messenger's objectives are simple:_

 _Ride throughout Norway and gather the Clans, then ride to Sweden and Denmark and call on our allies from there as well._

 _Once you've done all of that, know that you won't be finished from there._

 _You will then ride out to Germania beyond the Mediterranean and gather the fierce and mighty Barbarians of the Germanic Tribes in their great numbers. I am certain Odin would like to see them fight and die gloriously for him._

 _After that, ride Northeast to Kiev where the advanced and ingenious Slavic Tribes of the Rus' reside, and tell them that their Norse Viking brothers call for their need once more._

 _When you return, riches will await you for your long travels._ _For time has come for the Great Viking Army's return, BIGGER THAN EVER!"_

 _-Ivar the Boneless, King of Norway and Chieftain of the Völsung Clan._

 _..._

Magnus crumpled up the letter in his hands and threw it to the floor of the deck. He sat on a nearby barrel and covered his face in his palms, consuming his mind with thoughts.

"We need to find Hiccup soon." he said. "Otherwise all is lost…"


	12. The Clans Join

**I'd to apologize for the long wait. Christmas Vacation is among me now and I've been preparing for it all this week, and I went off schedule as a result - so I decided to add a time skip to this chapter, and some of the scenes may be short. Also if there's any grammar mistakes, don't mind them that much as I will soon fix them.**

 **Also, a thanks to HighKings-Ruin, Angel-the-hedge, HikariCruz, MrsMagnusB, and BrawlerGamer for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Now, without anymore waiting, let the story move forward!**

* * *

The morning came, and Hiccup looked out to sea from where he stood. The sky was cloudy that day, and a cold wind fell upon him that came down upon him from the North. It was unclear what entirely happened last night after he passed out drunk, but what he did know was that he found himself in the guest room he slept in when he awoke.

"If I'm ever going to take another seven mugs of ale again," he began. "Gods please damn me."

"I doubt that the gods would punish you for having the time of your life. Well… If you know what I mean." said a distant voice from behind. It was Astrid.

Hiccup gave a shrug, though he slightly nodded his head. "I guess you're right." he replied to her. "...But, if I may ask; what the Thor happened to me last night?"

"Umm…" Astrid scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well, many things happened to you. You were dancing like a drunk Dwarf read in those fairy tales, you started going on a ramble in a drunken state to drunk patrons while you stood on a table as if you were the Chief, and then you began confusing inanimate objects as being people and Dragons. Though I will admit, that kinda got the villagers laughing."

She gave a small chuckle. "Overall though, it eventually got too far where I had to carry you to my house and by the gods you were as heavy as Hel."

"Oh gods…" Hiccup sighed, placing his face into his palms. "Yup, I'm definitely going to pipe down on the drinking."

"Drinking ale is the least of our worries right now." said Astrid. "There are two things we need to take into consideration. The Dragon, and Ivar. Who knows how long it will take for him to get to Berk - he could be here in less than a week."

"Well concerning the Night Fury." Hiccup began. "I may have an idea on how we can perhaps… make a non-aggressive relationship with it."

"And what are you going to do? Take care of it like it's a-"

"No." he responded with a small smile on his face. "We have to earn it's trust. ...So, Astrid."

"Yeah?"

"Get ready, because we're going to catch some fish. A lot of fish."

…

* * *

Hiccup carried a large woolen bin on his back, with Astrid following him behind - unarmed. She wasn't sure about approaching the Night Fury, but she had to trust him. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"I'm positive." he replied. "I mean, otherwise it would've never given me half of it's fish to… well, you know."

The two of them looked away in embarrassment, not trying to think of the disgusting and vomiting thought. However, as Astrid looked around she soon noticed a large black figure hanging on the branch of a thick and withered tree. "Is that it?" she asked, her voice loud enough to be heard.

The black Dragon raised an ear and uncovered his face from behind its wings. Slowly it glided and made its way down from the large branch, landing in front of Hiccup and Astrid who stared at the Drake in interest.

"Well, that's him." he said.

Astrid arched a brow. " _Him?_ "

Hiccup nodded. "Well we've got to call him something, Astrid. Maybe these things aren't entirely beasts… now, let's do what we came here to do."

The young man calmly approached the Dragon and placed the large woolen bin of fish in front of the Dragon for him to eat. "We fished this up for you, Bud. I hope you're hungry."

He then tipped the bin over on its side and took off the lid, and out came many fish for the Dragon to eat. "Alright. Now that's disgusting…" began Hiccup. "Now, there's some salmon, some pike, many kinds of fish, and… an ell which we caught-"

Suddenly the Dragon growled and backed up in fear. Immediately Hiccup knew that the Dragon did not like eel and as he reached in to grab it the Night Fury backed up even more and snarled at it. 'Get it away!' was probably what it was trying to say.

"Alright, alright!" assured Hiccup as he threw the dead eel into the nearby pond, and soon the Dragon stopped snarling and continued his way forward to the bin.

He then sniffed the fish and immediately he began to eat, gobbling away at the slimy raw salmon like a hungry wolf. Hiccup nodded and gave off a grin. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" he asked, and Astrid rolled her eyes in a sigh.

"I guess you were right." she admitted.

He soon did eventually finish with eating his fish, and his head went from outside the large woolen basket to in it - which to Hiccup made him look silly and he gave out a chuckle, and as the bin dropped to the ground from the Dragon's head he looked over at the young Viking and rushed towards him.

The Night Fury then began circling Hiccup. "Uh- uhh, what are you doing?" he stuttered, and the black Drake just sniffed him from his feet to his legs to get the lad's scent, and afterwards the creature stopped and sat on his bottom, sitting in front of Hiccup. Then, the creature gave Hiccup a light nudge, meaning 'thank you.'

The young Viking with wonder in his mind curiously reached his hand out forward to pet the black Dragon, particularly on his scaly head. And so he reached out, he moved his hand forward and…

He gave off a growl to the scrawny Viking and Hiccup turned into the other direction and walked off, just as the Dragon did who went up back his tree and hung onto the branch which he rested on, lightly heating it before going back to his nap.

Astrid showed a face of confusion. "Is that it?" she asked. "All we were supposed to do is come here and give it fish? It gave a growl at you in response, and then it walked off… maybe I spoke a bit too soon."

"And it nudged me in a thanks." corrected Hiccup. "It only growled at me because it wasn't prepare to… well, probably be touched by me. Could be my disgusting ale scent-"

"Right, let's not go back into that, okay?" interrupted Astrid. "I've had enough of people talking about drinking beer for one day… there's more that we have to discuss aside that. But now that we're done with the Dragon for now…"

"...We should move onto the topic of Ivar." answered Hiccup. "Right, now the thing that is on my greatest mind right now is likely to be what he is planning. He is preparing to march an army on me just so he can have his relief through the price of blood."

Astrid nodded. "And he'll need to get past more than just me to get to you."

He shook his head. "No, it's not just that." he said. "It's common sense to us on why he's bringing army aside the fact that he wants to get to me through fighting others - but it's more on the fact that this is a new place for him, Astrid. New lands to conquer. The answers is obvious; he doesn't just want to kill me."

"But he also wants to conquer and claim the whole of the Archipelago and kill or enslave everyone that resides in it…" she finished.

"Exactly." he replied. "And with the Völsung's army behind him, no power in the Archipelago may _alone_ stop him… unless we all unite."

She sighed. "You know what you're saying is crazy, right? Some Tribes aren't friendly around here. We've had old wars and hatreds against them. They are-"

"Well sometimes you need to leave the past behind." he responded clearly. "Old hatreds will die hard one day, bringing peace among all. We just need to find a way to make that peace between the Tribes a reality, or else none of us will stand a chance…"

That to Hiccup is what he thought. If all Vikings in the Archipelago alike stood together, then Ivar and his Völsung Clan would be stopped. But little did the scrawny Viking know, trouble was already brewing on the horizon for him, and it was about to boil into fire - for Ivar had more plans than just using the Völsung's army in a conflict that would soon come…

...

* * *

 _ **Days later, back at Kattegat…**_

Ivar sat in the Great Hall around in a circle of thrones of the Chieftains that had been rallied - from the far corners of Kievan Rus', to the deep woods of Germania, and the snowy lands of Scandinavia. There were at least twenty Chieftains sitting with him around in the circle, and among him four other clans caught his attention as they sat in greater thrones than the other clans - excluding himself from the inferior Clans of course.

Two were from Sweden and Denmark, one was from Germania, and one was from Kiev, each of them wearing dark armor. Especially the large Slav Rus' Chieftain who had black iron armor from shoulder, to chest, to legs, to boots, with his head excluded as it was covered in a black wolf pelt. His Clan name was known as the Iron Volk, or the Iron Wolf.

The Germanic Barbarian Chief wore black furs and feathers along his leather armor. He had a large black beard and long hair going down to his upper back with some parts of his hair having braces. His armor in particular had a red trim specifically on his gloves and boots. His Clan name was known by the Blutig Berserkers, or the Bloody Berserkers.

The Viking Chieftains from Denmark and Sweden however were something else. They both wore furred outfits with some chainmail and leather as their armor, but some of their characteristics were unique. The one from Denmark for instance was buff and had a missing hand on his left arm, replaced with the large black blade of an axe. He wore barely any chest armor aside leather, and had chainmail leggings and plate boots. His Clan was called the Broken Øx, or the Broken Axe.

Finally, the Chieftain from Sweden was probably close to Ivar's body shape. He had mostly leather for his gear and wore the large animal cloak of a white wolf over his head and shoulders that extended down from there to near his feet and the ground. He had only one eye as his other was sliced in battle, but claimed that after this incident he could sometimes see visions from the gods. His Clan was the Dark Auga Clan, or Dark Eye.

Ivar gave a smile, and after a long inspection of all four of the major Chieftains, he finally started speaking to all the twenty Chieftains that had rallied to him.

"My fellow Vikings." he began. "Slavs, and my comrade Germanic Barbarians - I have called you all here for a reason. Half a week has passed and you sailed here for many days and nights. ...So, what's the reason?"

The closed smile on his face opened and he let out a light chuckle. "A new archipelago has been discovered Northwest of Scandinavia, which is directly North of England - and in that archipelago lays many islands that are populated by Tribes of Inferior Vikings. As well as mythical winged beasts in which we never thought existed."

"Dragons…" answered the Dark Eye Chieftain. "So then Odin has indeed sent me here for a reason, and his vision is true. He's sent us _all_ here for a reason."

"But why direct our attention North to this… archipelago?" the Chieftain of the Bloody Berserkers asked. "I was having fun slaughtering Christians in the forests of Germania. What exactly does it all have to offer?"

"People to slaughter and enslave." replied Ivar. "Dragons to kill and enslave as well - if there is a way, and… probably hundreds and hundreds of pounds of gold and silver among all these Tribes. It'll benefit not just myself, but as well all of you. Think about it. If we combine all of armies together then we will stand a greater chance together against any of our foes - more than my father Ragnar Lothbrök was able to when he sieged invaded the Franks. We would have an army ten times bigger than the original Great Heathen Army.

The Chieftain of the Iron Wolf leaned in closer, interested. "So what would you have us do, Ivar? I am all ears." he said, his Slavic accent obvious and clear.

"Let us make a Viking horde. I will enforce each and every one of your Clans in recognition of your superiority to all of the others in Scandinavia, Germania, and Kiev. You will be recognized as one of the best of the best, and as a result your peoples shall rally around you and your numbers will increase ten fold. You will all flourish in wealth and people."

"And what do you ask of us in return?" asked the Chieftain of the Broken Axe Clan.

It was then that Ivar's grin widened. "I ask that in return; you give me your loyalty. Pledge your warriors to my cause and purpose… for if we do this, then together we will become legion. A Great Viking legion."

Silence filled the Great Hall. All of the Chieftains had their heads facing the floor, walls, and ceiling of the large wooden hut in deep thought. They all wanted more land to rule, and more people by their sides in efforts for the wars that would likely come in the future, along with all the wealth they would obtain. Yet in return they would need to recognize Ivar as their higher upper, their High Chieftain… their King.

But in the end, it would be worth it…

The Dark Eye Clan's Chieftain stood to his feet and unsheathed his sword, giving off a salute to the young Chieftain. "The Dark Auga swear loyalty to you and your Clan, Ivar. Where you go, we shall follow in your name, High Chieftain!"

Eyes widened from the other Chieftains all around, and soon enough the Iron Wolf's Chieftain stood up as well. "The Iron Volk swear loyalty to you as well, High Chieftain. Our technology will be yours to command, and whatever you need building we shall craft and make. For the Great Viking Army!"

"Aye." replied another voice, and the Broken Axe's Chieftain stood straight up. "I will kill any foe and opponent I see in my way by your side, Ivar. My Clan and I will fight in your name as we take and conquer island by island from the inferior Tribes. We shall march by the thousands! IN YOUR NAME!"

"AYE!" shouted the Chieftain of the Bloody Berserkers. "I WILL KILL, MAIM, SLAUGHTER OUR ENEMIES IN YOUR NAME, HIGH CHIEFTAIN! FOR THE GREAT VIKING ARMY!"

That inspired and influenced all of the other Chieftains, and to their feet they stood and shouted loudly from their lungs and voices; "FOR THE GREAT VIKING ARMY! FOR IVAR!" Ivar's smiled was now extended from cheek to cheek as he began clapping his hand against one of his axes, giving off a laughter that echoed in the Great Hall before it turned into a mighty roar that bellowed beyond the Hall's walls, causing all of the Chieftains to raise their mugs in unity to Ivar the Boneless.

The Great Viking Army was now reborn... numbered in it's thousands and bigger than ever before, with Ivar the Boneless leading it once again…

…

* * *

"Maybe you should give up on that Dragon, Hiccup." sighed Astrid. "You've been trying for days and days to pet it like it's some wolf. All you've been doing is giving it fish and drawing pictures in the dirt of it for it to look at."

Hiccup and Astrid sat alone at the rocky cliffs that faced out to sea, though they were very close to the village.

"Gods' sake, Astrid. The Dragon has a gender." replied Hiccup. "I haven't just given up yet. I only need some time to think of a plan to get it at my side, to actually, well…"

"Are you insane?" she asked. "Stoick will throw you off Berk if he realizes that you BEFRIENDED a Dragon! I understand that the creature didn't attack you, but maybe it's- he's not interested in you."

"It can't be…" he replied softly. "This- this can't be true, Astrid. I always had a feeling that a Dragon could be befriended, but denying that idea is… a bit unrelieving to hear. It's almost as if I-"

He stopped short of what he was about to say and he turned his attention to down to face the ocean water that laid below the cliffs. "It's almost as if all I did was for nothing. Those dreams I had, were they nothing but a fantasy to me?"

Astrid arched a brow. "What dreams?" she asked. "When did they start."

He sighed. "Well, it's hard to say exactly when, but all I can say is that the last time I had this kind of dream was when I was sailing here to Berk." Eventually, that small piece of information started to turn into a small story of what he saw. "I remember seeing myself sitting atop the grassy cliffs of a bright and free-feeling place like this. I'm not sure where it was, but it likely was Berk. And then, I saw the Dragon."

"In what way?" she asked her friend.

"Well, it wasn't more on in what way but from where I saw it. I am certain it was the Night Fury because it's scales were dark and black. The characteristics it has were the same, and the speed it moved at was fast and amazing, almost like nothing I felt before. Very smooth of a ride might I add."

"I see…" Astrid said, listening in interest. "And did you encounter it any other way in your dream?"

Hiccup wanted to say yes, but it wasn't the way she'd probably expect like last time since the last thing he heard and saw in his dream was the screeching and shrieking of the Night Fury, followed by the bright light of it's blue-purple fire that launched directly at him before the explosion woke him up from his sleep. Unwilling to admit it, he shook his head at her question.

"No." he said. "Nothing happened after that. I… I just found myself resting in the tall grass facing the sky before I woke up from the sound of thunder in reality." he lied.

"Thor probably found interest in your dream except the last scene, so perhaps he stood and woke you up."

"Has Gobber been telling you those stories again?"

The two laughed from Hiccup's question, getting a funny sense filled in them from it. However, that would all cut short as a loud noise interrupted him.

But it wasn't any normal noise - it was a horn.

He looked out to sea and in front of his eyes he saw a two-sailed longship sailing towards Berk with it's sailed raised without color, but the structure of the ship, he recognized. Where had he seen that ship before? He asked himself many questions until suddenly an idea popped into him, a thought.

"That ship is familiar." he said to Astrid, and she looked at him as if he were… slightly crazy. "What are you talking about, Hiccup?" she asked him.

"That ship. I've seen the type before." he replied. "And I think I know who exactly is on that ship…"


	13. Heathens' Rally

**Merry Christmas, everyone! Now, though this chapter isn't Christmas related, I decided to wait until this particular day for it to be released since for our protagonists, you could consider that this will be one of their positive turning points.**

 **Also, a thanks to SkyTalon for reviewing on the previous chapter!**

 **Anyways, let us begin chapter 13!**

* * *

The sound of the loud horn coming from the longship grabbed much of the village's attention, including Stoick and the Council who came rushing out of the Great Hall with haste. From atop the stairs Stoick could see the distant ship coming towards Berk.

"Hmm…" he mumbled to himself. He then turned his head towards Spitelout. "Have you ever seen that kind of longship before, Spitelout?" he asked him.

The Viking shook his head. "Not at all, Stoick. Whoever built that must've had a lot of time on their hands - not to mention that this boat looks kind of… edgy."

Gobber stepped forward. "I think I know what kinda longship tha' is. I've seen it b'fore."

Stoick arched a brow. "Gobber, don't tell me that this ship-"

"Came frum Scandinavia? I can't say no, Stoick." he answered to the Chieftain. "Tho' there's only one way ta find out who's on tha' ship."

The large blonde Viking continued his way down the great stairs and proceeded to make his way towards the docks, with the other Council members following him. Well, almost all of them. Stoick stood there and shook his head at the sight as nearly half the entire Village too made their way near the docks.

"There's no such place." he said to himself.

Meanwhile down by the docks, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout and the others stood there atop a pier staring at the ship, watching as it sailed closer and closer. The villagers stood at the upper levels of the docks, glancing down upon them. "Are you sure you know who is aboard that ship?" asked Snotlout.

"I am certain. It has to be one of Ivar's guards." he said with a grin and his brows lowered. "We've got them now. Hopefully we can get some information out of them."

"If you say so." nodded Snotlout as he looked to his left and right flanks at the four guards on each side that was guarding him. "Men, get into guarding position!" he ordered, and immediately they stuck their spears out and raised their shields forward. "Prepare for anything that comes off that ship…"

Soon enough the longship made it's landing and it ported on the pier where Hiccup and the others stood. However, as it made port the sail immediately raised itself up, followed by a large plank of wood hitting against the pier from the ship.

The guards immediately became confused from this. Usually the first thing an enemy would do would be that they'd jump off their ships, not caring about anything else and then they'd begin to fight their enemy. So what kind of foe raises their sails and takes their time to set up their landing?

The answer would be given as a hooded manly figure would appear before Hiccup and the group - with the nearly limp body of a female in his arms. She on the other hand was not hooded, but she was kept warm with a giant furred fabric that was wrapped around her.

"Wait!" the man called out, slowly making his way off the ship. "Please, don't attack! I don't come here as an enemy. My friend, she- she's sick. I need help, please."

Hiccup's face lit up and his eyes widened. That voice was very familiar, and already he felt bolts of excitement and happiness of relief coursing through his veins and brain as if Thor had struck him.

"Stand down, men!" ordered Snotlout, and instantly the guards placed their spears back into a staff position and rested their shields to the sides. Astrid then reacted as she ran towards the hooded man and helped him lay down the young woman against a nearby sack of grain. "Give her some space!" she said with a loud voice, and everyone immediately backed up.

As Hiccup looked and changed his glance between the man and young woman, he opened his mouth and said; "Do I know you, stranger?" he asked.

The young man froze and turned his head to face Hiccup, giving off a gasp upon sighting the scrawny Viking. He stood up straight on his feet and walked towards him with quick haste before stopping a few feet away from him. Then, he removed his hood and his face was revealed.

"And who might you be?" the man asked.

Hiccup was beyond wordless. He didn't know how to express his feelings to the friend that had now returned to him after nearly a week or more of torture from the barbarous Ivar. He opened his mouth and choked out the words; "I- I'm your friend, Mag-"

Magnus immediately rushed forward and gave Hiccup a brotherly hug, and Hiccup wrapped his arms around the older Viking. "Magnus…" he said with a sigh.

"I knew somewhere in my mind that I would find you here, my friend." Magnus said with a smile, patting Hiccup on the shoulder as he backed up.

"The gods were able to guide me here, Magnus. I used my instincts, as well as my mind and heart."

The older Viking gave a chuckle. "You did as I told you to do, Hiccup. You've done well." he said. "And judging by the way you are, I assume the people of Berk have fed you well and kept you healthy… well, I can say the very least for Eira."

He looked down towards Eira who laid against the sack of grain. Her eyes shut and her skin pale. "What happened to her?" asked Hiccup.

"She fell ill in the midst of our travels. I tried what I could to keep her well, but- ...Odin help us. She might die if I don't do something soon. She needs to be tended to."

Snotlout stepped forward. "I can take her to Gothi's. She's the best healer on the island, and she's helped plenty of the ill'd-folk. Your friend will be healed up in no time."

Magnus nodded. "Thank you… err."

"Snotlout." he said. "Heir of the Hooligans. Though please, just call me Snotlout. Alright?"

"Alright." replied Magnus.

Snotlout bowed his head at the older Viking and then turned his head to the two guards nearest to me. "You, carry her. You, accompany us as we take her to the healer." he said, and the guards obeyed as one of them carefully picked up Eira and carried her in a comfortable position, while the other assisted him and Snotlout as they quickly began rushing up the ramparts towards the village.

"Right." began Magnus, patting Hiccup on the shoulder. "Where's Gobber-?"

"Magnus!?" a voice called out, and as Hiccup and Magnus turned to face the source of the voice - there stood Gobber with his eyes widened and his mouth dropped.

"Yer- yer alive, lad!"

Magnus grinned. "That I am, old friend." he said to the blacksmith. "Though do not celebrate too soon, Gobber. I have something important that I need to share with you, Hiccup, and your Chieftain. You may not like what you're about to hear…"

…

* * *

Magnus had been talking to Stoick for nearly an hour straight. The Chieftain welcomed the stranger, and soon enough they had both gotten into a discussion on the topic of Ivar. Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber, and the others were there as well - including Snotlout. But with Magnus there to tell Stoick every bit of detail, everyone in the room knew that the tables were about to flip.

He paced back and forth, with his hands behind his back. "Ivar kept me locked up for days which nearly last to a week." he said. "He gouged me with daggers, he brutalized me where I was the most vulnerable, and he gave me very little water and food knowing that I would be weak and useless. But eventually, he began to plot out his plan right in front of me, which was to send his army to invade the Archipelago."

Stoick leaned in. "What proof do you have that this 'Boneless' did this to you? What proof do you even have that he exists?"

Magnus gave a smirk. "It's about time you see for yourself, Chieftain. The ship I sailed aboard to get me here is one thing…" He then placed one of his hands out in front of him with an item in grasp, and he threw the metallic and leathery object to the stone floor in front of Stoick. A helmet rolled until it stopped at least three feet away from the Chief.

" _This,_ is another thing."

The older Viking squinted his eyes at the helmet, inspecting the specific layout of it. It had a large opening around the facial area to reveal the mouth and beard, and it had two eye sockets for the wearer to look through out of. He didn't recognize it.

"What kind helmet is this?" the Chief asked.

"This is a Viking helmet. One of Ivar's men wore this before I killed one of them and threw them overboard." answered Magnus

Stoick splurted out a chuckle. "Bah, don't be ridiculous!" he said. "We all know that Viking helmets have horns! They aren't complicated to make at this level! A real Viking doesn't wear a helmet that covers their entire head like a coward!"

Magnus shook his head. "Maybe not for you." he replied. "But this helmet was specifically made in Scandinavia. And if that isn't enough proof for you - if the ship isn't enough proof, then maybe _this_ will be if that's what it'll take for you to listen!"

"Then by all means, please show me more, stranger!" he said with a slight mocking tone.

From his vest he took out a folded piece of parchment paper and he tossed it to the ground in front of Stoick next to the helmet, and then he crossed his arms. "Open it, Chief. Tell me that's not enough to convince you."

Stoick's brows arched downwards as he gave a small grunt to the younger Viking. He then stood from his seat and walked over to pick up the folded parchment. Picking it up he quickly unfolded it and it's contents were immediately revealed to him. His face lit up.

Before him he saw a map of Scandinavia, specifically Norway. It was labeled with the many towns, villages and farms found in the chilly war-torn lands. There were even estates that were owned by Jarls and Earls labeled on there as well. But what caught his eye the most was the capital city written in big letters down near the bottom of the map, located at the end of the strait.

Kattegat.

Then, something else caught his attention in the upper left corner. There was a large circular-like cloud drawn onto the map which had islands drawn inside of it - as well as Dragons of whom were flying around breathing out fire from their mouths and nostrils. What he was looking at was the Archipelago which had a red X labeled onto it.

Stoick leaned back in his throne, letting the map fall freely from his hands. And the first words he said out loud to everyone was; "What have I done?" he replied, his palm covering his face. "I- I... How could this be... By Odin, why didn't I listen to the warnings? I- it is apparent to me now... all I have done is sit back with arrogance trying to prove a point that the people were wrong, and that I was right; ...and I have payed the price with... Oh gods, Odin help us."

"Ivar coming for us isn't the worst thing." said Magnus. "It's his army."

Hiccup stepped forward. "We all figured from the start that he'd send his army to invade the Archipelago and conquer it, Magnus. Though I'm sort of surprised that we were right-"

"Ivar is no longer sending just his Völsung after us, Hiccup." he interrupted. "His Clan is no longer just the case."

A long silence then followed, and all eyes fell upon Magnus as they quickly widened. Hiccup's face began to light up as well, with tension boiling in his stomach and guts. 'It couldn't be, could it?' he asked himself. 'Or is it what I think it is…'

Hiccup opened his mouth, "Are you saying that…" but he quickly lost his words as Magnus nodded.

"Yes." he said. "The Great Heathen Army is returning, and it's bigger than ever. From a letter that I read which Eira looted off from one of the horse riders, Ivar had listed over TWENTY Clans for each rider to visit - not just Viking Clans, but also the numerous Germanic Tribes whom are led by Barbarians, and some of the large technological Slavic Tribes led by the Rus', Vikings who migrated from Sweden and adapted to being Slavic. Their armies number in a size that the Archipelago alone cannot face."

"How many?" asked Snotlout.

"Thousands." replied Magnus. "High up in their thousands."

Multiple gasps spreaded throughout the Great Hall. From the Council, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, the group, Gobber, and even Stoick. By this point, many did not know what to do, and it seemed as if Fishlegs and the Twins were about to have a nervous breakdown.

"But." began Magnus. "Let me assure you that I will help Berk find a way through this upcoming conflict. If Ivar so desperately wants his prize then we'll let him come - for all that he will meet will be rage and fury from our weapons as one of our Vikings will strike down a hundred of theirs before we fall. This I vow to you."

From those words of inspiration, Hiccup gave off a smile with his brows loweres. He nodded in assurance to the others that sat next to him before turning and bowing his head in agreement at Magnus. He knew that the older Viking was right. Magnus was the one who helped him get through all those rough years back in Kattegat whenever he was threatened, and now he was about to do the same to a people and defend them.

It was then however that Stoick rose from his seat and looked over at those who stood and sat before him, seeing the now renewed confidence built up in their eyes. He cleared his throat and gave a grunting sigh. "You're... You're right. Let them come." he said. "They will feel the might of Berk once we meet them in battle, for I now believe as all of you do. If we don't stand together against the Heathen Tide, then we will all fall. But now the opportunity lays opened for us. On this day, May war be declared on Ivar the Boneless, and his Great Heathen Army... May Odin watch over us!"

…

* * *

Ivar sat on a hill at the top of a cliff over viewing Kattegat. He wrapped himself in his black robes as cold and light rain fell upon him, with the addition of the wind making more of it hit his face. Next to him stood the Slavemaster Olaf who was as well looking down at the large Viking city.

"You've done well for me, Olaf." he told him. "You have served me with loyalty and have shown brute force to any enemy that had dared to threaten the Völsung in the past. There isn't anymore I can say aside the fact that the Völsung is in your favor."

Olaf nodded. "Thank you, Chieftain." he said. "Though I tell you this; I promise you that I will find that runt Hiccup and kill him, and then I will conquer the Archipelago with all of the Clans and Tribes by our side."

Ivar gave a muffled chuckle. "Well then…" he began. "If you're to help in invading the Archipelago, you will need a position that is more fit for you. The Slaves after all, they are a liability to you and can't be overlooked on all of your life. You need something more for you to show your representation of power. Wouldn't you agree… General Olaf?"

The large Viking's expression immediately showed a state of shock and surprise. His mouth dropped from his Chieftain's words, and he started to stutter as he tried to let out the words he wanted to give to him.

"Surprised?" asked Ivar. "I mostly expected that. But think of this as a great honor, Olaf. The Slaves are no longer yours to command, but rather an army at your side willing to take an order without question."

"I- If that is what you wish, Chieftain." began Olaf. "I will gladly carry out your command, and I will lead the legions of the Great Viking Army by your will."

Ivar smiled. "Excellent. Then I guess we can throw all of the Slaves in the cells and feed them little as they suffer. Their torture will surely make Odin happy while we-"

Before he could finish, a loud horn suddenly interrupted him that came from down below. But it wasn't coming from Kattegat, it was coming from ships that were sailing towards the Viking city from further down the channel of the river.

"Ah… excellent." the young Viking said as a laugh escaped his mouth. "Our allies have finally arrived in full force... I believe it is time to give them a proper greetings to our city. It will take a while, but once they've ported, we will send out the first wave of ships. The Völsung will make the first move against the Archipelago, and soon all will follow."

Ivar was right however when he meant that it would take a while, as hundreds of ships came sailing through the channel of the massive river, with each carrying twenty five warriors.

"At least four hundred ships." said Ivar as he giggled in an evil-like tone. "Hahahaha… this is going to be written in blood once we meet our enemies. They will not stand for long…"


	14. A Pain In The Neck

**Right guys! Here is chapter fourteen! Now in this chapter, all I can say is that there will be another problem that will be itching Hiccup behind his back as Ivar is but one of them. Another arises on Berk and it quickly escalates...**

 **Also, thanks to MrsMagnusB, and SkyTalon for reviewing on the last chapter! You guys are great. :)**

 **Now, how about we continue further into our story, shall we?**

* * *

The whole of Berk was now like a giant Barracks. There were small groups of villagers lining up at recruitment stands with their weapons in hand, eager to join the Hooligan Tribe's army after the call to arms was sounded by Stoick, signaling that war was declared.

Hiccup walked with Magnus and Astrid throughout the plaza of the town, and all over they saw warriors marching in formation and guarding certain positions. At least fifty or so guards were spread out through the plaza, but there were still more coming in as militia - the villagers of whom were recruited.

"This place is going to turn into a war zone once Ivar comes." said Magnus. "We can only hope that we have some sort of advantage from where we stand."

Astrid nodded. "There is." she said. "If any of Ivar's warriors want to even have a chance to reach the village, they'll have to run up the ramparts that lead up to here and try their best to avoid archer fire that will come down upon them from both sides."

"A clever choke point." complimented Hiccup. "But... if we are to even have a real chance against his army, we're going to have to improvise on how to fight rather than where or when."

"He's right." agreed Magnus. "These Vikings aren't ordinary. These Heathens are _fighters_ who are bred for war. They will not take an order with question, they will do as they are told and charge in without fear. It will take more than just a simple tactic to beat them."

Astrid squinted her eyes and arched a brow. "And how would you possibly know this? Have you seen them fight before?" she asked, her tone sounding curious.

"That I have." he replied. "I've seen Kattegat go under siege before from an enemy Clan, and always the defending Völsung Clan would win. But when Ivar took over the Clan he made the warriors twice as better in their skill and and strength. Their warriors alone are a war machine."

"So then how can we oppose them at a good enough rate? They'll just cut us through like-"

"We fight like them." interrupted Hiccup, answering Astrid's question. "Magnus, you've taught me to fight like a professional warrior with a sword and shield, and I think that skill may come to of good use on teaching aside me."

A smirk immediately grew across the black haired Viking's face. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"Train Berk's militia in the ways of which you fight. It took three days for me to learn your style, and now I think that they should know as well."

Magnus' smirk had now turned into a grin. To him, the idea was indeed improvising. "If you think that will help us, then we might as well try. I'll see to it that Berk's warriors are trained and ready for combat, but I'll need to speak with Gobber or Stoick about this."

"Aye, that's a good idea." agreed Astrid, and immediately Magnus rushed off, his first thought in mind was going to the Blacksmith where Gobber was.

As Hiccup watched him run off he gave a deep sigh as he exhaled his breath. He wasn't sure it would be enough - they were still outnumbered. "Though... I don't think it's still going to be enough against Ivar, Astrid. Who knows what else Ivar will bring aside warriors and Horses."

"Horses?" she asked him.

"Mammal animals with four legs covered in hair along with a tail, just like how a Dragon has scales and four paws." he quickly summarized, and she nodded without question.

Then, just as Hiccup was about to continue, a voice from the distance interrupted him as it echoed throughout the area. The two of them looked around with their ears wide and opened to hear for the direction it was coming from. "Who the Hel is yelling that?" asked Hiccup.

Astrid listened more closely, furthering her efforts in hearing - and quickly she was able to recognize the voice of an old man rambling over… something, though she couldn't clearly hear the words.

"I think I know who it is." she said. "Follow me."

Hiccup followed Astrid without asking anything. As they ran the two of them would on occasion rush through small crowds of militia who were gathered up for their own purposes, but that was despite the point, and it wouldn't take long for them to find where the source of the ranting was coming from, and who it was.

Hiccup and Astrid stopped atop one of the ramparts that overlooked to the sea by the cliffs, and there they were met with a crowd of twenty villagers of whom were men, women, and children listening, to a thin old man who was holding his staff, ramble about the upcoming war.

"I'm tellin' ye, this ain't thu right way te go!" he shouted. "We shoodn't 'ave te go te war when thu superior side'z obvious! Why waste eur resources on a foe we can not trooly fioght against! Think 'boht thu children, eur animals! Me sheep won't be able te live in thu same wey if ye get what I mean! Thu rest goes te all of ye-!"

"What is going on here!?" called out Hiccup as he barged his way through the crowd with the villagers making way for him upon sight, especially for Astrid who followed him through.

"Well well well! Look 'oo it iz! Thu stranga 'oo danced with 'iz Hofferson girlfriend in thu Great 'All last nioght!" he called out, earning a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Right." began Hiccup. "First of all, Astrid is my _friend_. Secondly, who are you to tell Berk's denizens what they should or shouldn't do in a time like this? We're going to war for Thor's sake!"

"A war which ye shoodn't 'ave started."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "ME?"

"Yez yoo!" the old shepherd yelled. "If ye never came te Berk, we woodn't be in t'iz mess! Ye ar' thu reason tha' we ar' at war wif som' Viking we 'ave never 'eard of b'fore! 'Ooo! Ivar thu Boneless is coming for us an' wants te kill us all!' Face eht ye fool, e's comin' fer yoo, not us!"

Astrid's face began to light up in frustration. "You don't know Ivar as good as Hiccup does, Mildew. All you have ever done for Berk is ramble and rant on these wildly made-up assumptions on why a certain event is going to happen. Ivar isn't coming for Hiccup, he's coming for the whole of the Archipelago!"

"Ye dun 'ave proof, girl!" Mildew spat back. "If ye want te do what's rioght, then be of use an' 'elp us throw 'im off the island!"

Both Hiccup's and Astrid's eyes immediately widened and their faces began to express tension. Was this old man serious? Did he really want Hiccup to be thrown off Berk just because Ivar was coming? Mildew didn't even know why Ivar was truly coming, and he refused to believe the _truth_ which came from Hiccup and the others? Most of the VILLAGE believed him. Even Stoick now believed him.

"Well, what're ye goin' te do, Astrid? Ar' ye goin' te throw 'im off?"

For a moment she said not even a single word to him. Anger boiled deep inside her and the frustration was just rising up in her, but after a long moment of silence she looked up at him and said one word:

"No."

Mildew snarled and gave a smirk. "So be it, then. Sum' body, get 'em!" he shouted. "If she isn't goin' te throw 'im off, we'll throw both of 'em off!"

Immediately most of the crowd dispersed in fear of a fight, mostly consisting of the women and children who ran off as well as some of the men. Only four men remained with their fists grasped as they cracked their knuckles. It was obvious they were ready for some conflict.

"Oh gods." said Astrid.

"Get 'em, ye fools!" ordered Mildew, and the four men quickly rushed towards Hiccup and Astrid - however, it would not end up as he wanted as a loud voice would disrupt the four men and cause them to cease their actions.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Stoick as he came walking towards them with Magnus, Gobber and eight warriors by his side. Mildew gulped at the sight at first, but then he cleared his throat. "Stoick, I was just tryin' te-"

"I don't want to hear it!" the Chief interrupted. " _You four men_ , move along! And don't try anything clever to those two or I'll sentence each of you to a week in the cells!"

The older Vikings didn't dare question their Chieftain and immediately they ran off in a sense of tension without looking back at him, not wanting to know what he could do to them. Then, Stoick's attention fell on Mildew. "That was foolish of you, Mildew!" he said.

"Oh come on now, Stoick! Ye know tha' this 'Iccup is responsible fer thu mess we're in rioght now."

"In what way!?" the Chieftain demanded. "How can he be responsible for a war he did not start you half deaf fool! The last thing we want right now aside this war is for our people to turn against one another! Hiccup is a denizen of Berk, a villager, and already you tried to force MY people to fight him!"

Mildew quickly lost his train of thought. "I- but I- but e's thu reason tha'-"

"I don't want to hear another excuse, Mildew." he interrupted again. "There will be consequences for you if you try doing something stupid and pathetic like this again. Keep your damned loyalists away from him, am I clear?"

"Ye cen try, Stoick! But me loyalists won't be so happy if ye try somethin' lioke throw me off Berk-""

"I said am I CLEAR!?" the Chieftain bellowed.

Mildew slightly sneered at Hiccup and Astrid, giving a mocking smile at the two. "O' yez, I understand, Stoick."

Stoick gave a low growl, and with a deep guttural voice he said to the shepherd; "Then get moving." and soon enough he got moving, slamming his staff into the ground in arrogance with every step he took. It was obvious that he wasn't pleased.

The Chief then turned his gaze at the scrawny Viking. "Hiccup, are you alright?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, I- I'm fine, Chief." he stuttered, and Stoick patted Hiccup on the shoulder.

"You can just call me by Stoick, lad. Alright?" he asked, and the scrawny Viking gave a nod in response before turning his head towards the direction Mildew walked in. "Who is that guy?"

"Mildew." said Stoick. "The old man isn't friendly, I'll give you that. He believes in what he sees and in what he thinks, making his own assumptions in which he thinks will come out in a good way. He should be grateful I haven't thrown him off yet."

"So why haven't you?" asked Hiccup.

Stoick sighed. "It's because of his loyalists." he replied. "Nearly a sixth of the village is composed of loyalists who are trusted by Mildew, as well as trusting him. They're all specifically men, and those four men were of _his_ loyalists. The last thing Berk would want would be a civil war, and if I kick him off Berk then either they'll go with him, or they'll start infighting amongst the Hooligans."

"Geez." said Hiccup, his tone expressing some surprise. "I wouldn't want a civil war either."

"Eh, don't worry about it, lad." the Chieftain assured. "We're already going to war anyways… now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off to the arena with Gobber and Magnus. Some of the warriors will need our training."

"Alright." nodded Hiccup. "Thanks for the help, Stoick."

The older Viking nodded at Hiccup and continued on his way with Gobber and Magnus, and the two bowed their heads in a nod at the scrawny Viking as they passed by.

"Well, that was quite the engagement." said Astrid. "We nearly got into a fight."

"A fight that Mildew's loyalists were about to start. As long as they're around me I'll be a vulnerable target if no guard or higher ranking Viking is around. We'll need to be careful…" His words soon fell silent as he faced the ground shaking his head at the thought of Mildew, and easily Astrid noticed this.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's just that- I don't want another person on my tail, Astrid. My war against hatred is about to turn on two fronts led by Ivar and Mildew. I need to sort something out soon."

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Hiccup." she assured him. "I know it…"

…

* * *

Water came flying out of Snotlout's mouth as he drank from his mug, and Fishlegs and the Twins looked at Hiccup and Astrid with surprise. "No way, Mildew actually ordered four of his loyalists to fight you and throw you two off the island?"

The two of them responded in immediate nods, and the other four looked at each other with frowns. "Mildew. Always up to no good that useless son of a half-troll." said Ruffnut.

"Tell me about it." replied Tuffnut. "If I ever see him in my eyes again then I'll poke out one of his eyes so that he's only in… one of my… eyes. Heh… get it?" But no one laughed at his joke, they just shook their heads at him or arched their brows. "Heh, alrighty then…"

By now it had turned night time on Berk. After the near conflict with Mildew and his men finished, Hiccup and Astrid decided to share their information with Snotlout and the others as they all made their way to Gobber's Blacksmith, and there they sat down sharing the discussion, but so far Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins were surprised from what happened.

"So, back on the topic of Mildew." began Hiccup. "How did he receive so many loyalists anyway? He has like a hundred of them in the village out of six hundred."

Snotlout gave a shrug. "Eh, it's a long story. But to summarize; basically he one day helped in _appeasing_ the gods since on that day, Berk was hit with a sickness, and the people believed it was cast upon them by the mighty deities as punishment."

"So then what happened?" asked Hiccup.

"When the sickness ended, that's when the loyalists came to be. They thought that it was Mildew who lifted the disease from the Hooligans by sacrificing a yak… a FREAKING YAK. It was so ridiculous and funny, much of the town didn't believe him, and Stoick became furious with him. But we all know that it was Gothi who helped cure the town with her remedy."

"And why was Stoick infuriated with him?"

"Sacrificing is outlawed on Berk. It is illegal. We don't do bloody sacrificial pacts to appease the gods, we do _monuments_ for them! Statues _, representations_ of them... and all I can tell you now is that his loyalists think too much of Mildew. They think he's like some sort of elder, and that he can receive visions from Odin and the gods."

Hiccup splurted. "Only the _seer_ can receive visions from Odin and the gods. It's basic Viking culture since almost every Clan in Norway has seers, and in this case your healer - Gothi is the elder-seer, but Mildew is just a damn old shepherd, thus he would know nothing. It's like they worship him as if he is some sort of god. A dumb one in fact."

"I wouldn't say that around his loyalists." replied Fishlegs, raising a finger. "You don't know if they could be around you at any corner. One guy who was stumbling around the streets of Berk drunk one day got his butt handed to him by Mildew's men since he drunkenly called out Mildew. That's how loyal they are. They'll do anything to keep his reputation clean."

"Fish is right." nodded Snotlout. "He thinks himself as if he's the King of the Archipelago."

"Did the Archipelago even have a King?" asked Hiccup.

"Yeah, I tried running for it." said Tuffnut, and all eyes fell on him, especially from Snotlout who asked; "You?"

"Yeah me." he responded, and quickly a wave of silence filled the room, blocking out all sound. But then, Tuff's next words got noise to fill the room again at a loud level.

"I didn't win though." he said, and immediately laughter filled the Blacksmith as it came out from everyone's mouths. Hiccup and Astrid leaned back in their chairs laughing their butts off from Tuff's jokes which they actually finally found to be pretty funny. But that wouldn't last long as movement from nearby distant figures caught Hiccup's attention, and he was quick to point them out.

His expression turned serious. "Guys…" he said, pointing his finger towards the men that were approaching him. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins responded by standing up in haste and walking to Hiccup's side as four men stood a few yards away from them, though it was hard to tell who it was due to the dark of the night.

"Are you Hiccup?" one of them called out, his voice expressed with a grunt.

"Uh- um, yes!" he replied. "What do you want?"

The four men went quiet as they looked at each and gave nods, with an evil chuckle coming from one of them. "Mildew's got a score to settle with you, Hiccup! You're getting off Berk, one way or another!"

"Not unless I have something to say about that!" shouted Snotlout as he stepped forward to guard Hiccup.

"Well well well, looks like the Heir is in on this as well!" another of the four Vikings called out. "But it seems he picked the wrong side!"

"C'mon men!" their leader said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's show these _children_ how we really fight!" and immediately the four Vikings charged at Hiccup and the group with weapons gripped in their hands...


	15. Trouble Brews

**Before beginning, all I can say is that I am honestly wordless on the amount of support I've had for this story since I had ever begun writing it. This story has once again reached a milestone as it now stands at _10,000_ views. Holy crap, guys! I can't thank you enough, and once again I give you a big thanks!**

 **Also, thank you to KaliAnn, KorrieChan, MrsMagnusB, BrawlerGamer, and fs440(Guest) for reviewing the last chapter!**

 **Now, let us begin chapter fifteen! (Which is also the last chapter for 2017... no this isn't the overall last chapter! :P)**

* * *

The four loyalists rushed at Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, and the gang who were standing by, ready with their weapons now in hand as they unsheathed swords and hammers from the nearby weapon racks. It was a Blacksmith after all.

Hiccup and Astrid then unsheathed their sword and axe, but as Hiccup took out his weapon the blade of his sword shinged in a high pitched noise that no other sword would make, almost as if the metal of the blade was made out of an iron that reacted when unsheathed.

Then, the loyalists closed in and Hiccup made the first move as he swung his blade to hit the loyalist leader, or at the very least hit his weapon…

...He immediately found his target, and the axe of the loyalist group's leader broke into two halves as the flat iron blade fell to the ground in two, with only the wooden hilt remaining which the large Viking quickly dropped.

"Who ELSE wants a taste of my blade against your weapons!?" taunted Hiccup.

The four loyalists stood still as the gang was at the ready with their weapons out and pointed at them, and suddenly the three Vikings standing behind the leader laid down their arms as they raised up their hands for a moment. But then a large burst of fear and tension hit them as one of them yelped, and they started running.

"After them! Word must not get back to Mildew!" ordered Snotlout, and instantly everyone but Hiccup began rushing towards the fleeing Vikings whilst the leader and his direct opponent who was armed remained.

"Who knew your buddies would be a bunch of cowards?" he taunted again. "I wonder why Mildew even trusts you especially since Berk is divided because of you. The old man is a fool and a liar."

"HOW DARE YOU!" the large Viking bellowed, instantly knocking Hiccup to the ground with a hard fist to the stomach. "Mildew is godlike to us! He is the elder of vision and fate! You are just a nuisance to him and our faction!"

"Berk is your faction!" grunted Hiccup, earning a kick to the chest.

"Yes, it is. But it is lead by the wrong Chieftain, and you shall be one of the first to see him fall when the time is right!"

Those words caused anger to rise up in Hiccup. "NO!" he bellowed as he grabbed the large foot with both hands, and with his strength he got the Viking into an unbalanced position as he nearly fell over. Hiccup then rolled flat to the side and stood back up on his feet. His blade pointed out at the man.

Once again he taunted him. "Come then! Make your move!" he said, mocking the Viking with rude gestures. As a result the loyalist charged at Hiccup once more, but his underestimation would quickly cost him thinking he could take on the scrawny Viking with just his bare fists.

Hiccup quickly spun himself around as he dodged the punch from the loyalist, and with his blade he made a horizontal strike to the right side of the man's stomach right above his waist.

The man groaned loudly in pain from the strike, making his hate rise even further as he attempted one more strike against Hiccup, but once again he failed as the young Viking was able to strike behind the man's left leg as he rolled around behind him, thus causing him to fall to the ground on his knees with blood gushing out from both gaping wounds.

"Wow, I didn't know I was that skilled…" Hiccup said to himself.

With the man stuck to the ground on his knees and unable to do anything, Hiccup could get right to the interrogation. He walked hastily up to the large man and grabbed him from behind the neck.

"Right. Listen here, loyalist." he began. "Your plan to do whatever you wanted to me has failed, and you lay broken in front of my feet. I want to know what Mildew was up to, and why he tried to kill me."

"Kill you?" he chuckled, spitting drops of blood to the ground. "He didn't want to _kill_ you, boy. He wanted to throw you off the damned island! We know that if this _Ivar_ does come, then we can just hand him right over to you and they'll leave us alone."

Hiccup gave a backhand across the man's face with his free hand. "No he wouldn't, fool." he said coldly. "Ivar the Boneless seeks to conquer the whole of the Archipelago for his Viking kingdom. He will kill and enslave all who oppose him - and he has all the power and brains necessary to maintain his kingdom as long as he lives. He is experienced and skillful unlike you and your pathetic loyalists."

"Then we'll simply join him…" the man chuckled again. However, Hiccup's next words would silence that chuckle and bring the Viking to a dead halting end.

"No." he said in front of the man's face. "He'll simply enslave you as well since he knows you are more weak mentally and physically than he is. He is a cripple, yes… but he is the Nightmare that will haunt you to the depths of Helheim."

The loyalist's eyes widened. "What…!?" he gasped. "You can't possibly mean to…"

"It is finished." interrupted Hiccup as he quickly rose his blade up high above his head, and then he swiftly brought it down without wasting any time, and he found his target at the Viking's neck as he felt his sword cut clean through his flesh, followed by blood splattering all over the dirt ground. Hiccup could see the dark object of the loyalist's head go flying past him in the air…

…

* * *

The morning came, and already news was spreading about the decapitated corpse found in front of the Blacksmith, though Stoick and Gobber seemed to have no problem with it as Snotlout had told the two of them everything that night, as well as about the corpse.

"Stoick and Gobber promised to keep us low." said Snotlout as he drank from his mug of ale. "Let's just hope Mildew doesn't suspect a thing from us… though I have to say Hiccup; I've never seen anyone as skilled as you when it comes to you being my age. You cut that bloody bastard apart."

The gang once again sat together, though they were all dining in the Great Hall for their breakfast.

"But what of the three loyalists you captured? What did you do with them?"

"We knocked them out unconscious and we threw them into the cells by the Chief's orders." answered Astrid. "Stoick says he'll be interrogating them personally on what they were doing wandering in the middle of the night, as well as try to connect them to the murdered loyalist in a public way. He knows we already killed him though."

"Let's hope they're put on public execution, then." whispered Hiccup. "It would likely make Mildew back off for the time being, though his loyalist's could be anywhere on Berk peering at us with their eyes and listening with their ears."

Snotlout nodded. "Then we ought to be careful of our actions… as mentioned before, the last thing we would want would be a civil war on Berk. That would just make Ivar's job easier to- well, you know what I mean." he sighed.

"We know, Snotlout." said Fishlegs, nodding his head in agreement. "I wouldn't want to fight my own people either, but Mildew is a major problem for us. Who knows if he'd try to overthrow the Chief."

"He won't be able to with just a hundred loyalists." replied Hiccup as he drank from his mug. "The first thing he'd do would be to flee Berk and probably go to Ivar in an attempt to convince him on targeting Berk first. But it in the end we know that Ivar would either kill or enslave Mildew."

"So how do we get rid of the old sucker?" asked Ruffnut. "What if he-"

"Ooh! I've got it!" interrupted Tuffnut. "We gather up two yaks, we stack them up on top of Mildew's house, and then we play Stack the Yak until his roof collapses while he is inside the hut! Eh?"

The group turned their gazes and looked at Tuffnut with frowns of not just disapproval, but also disappointment and unamusement. How would stacking yaks on top of Mildew's hut help in this case? Not to mention that it would be physically impossible to carry a yak anyways. Either way, their glares and frowns were enough to tell Tuff to stop.

"Oh, uh… sorry." he said.

"Back to where we were…" began Hiccup. "I'd say the only way to stop Mildew without having any of his loyalists leave and depopulate Berk would be to have them become unloyal to him and see the truth. To have them see the events that are transpiring all around us as a result of Mildew's motives. His actions are not told truthfully to his loyalists, and I know this."

Astrid arched a brow. "How, though? You've only been here for-"

"Dirty people like Ivar and Mildew always tend to lie to their subjects to get what they want without having them know what their true intentions are. I've seen it back in Kattegat, and now I see it here on Berk from the old bag."

"So then what would be the best way to get his loyalists to see the truth and back away from him?" asked Snotlout as he leaned in closer in interest on the opposite side of the table from where Hiccup sat.

"Humiliation." the scrawny Viking answered. "Give a humiliation that Mildew would never be able to recover from and certainly send him down to the depths of Helheim at the end of his life. It has to be one that would show that Mildew isn't the all-powerful-godlike man he said he was, but rather a stupid old man who appreciates no one but himself, and lies to everyone to get what he wants."

Fishlegs took note of this as he moved his eyes up to face the rocky ceiling as if he was looking up in his thoughts. "But in what way?" he asked Hiccup. "Through physical proof? Mental proof of his false vision maybe? Hel, a duel? There has to be-"

Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall opened wide as Magnus came walking in with snow blowing against his back from outside. He struggled inside, but he was able to quickly shut the doors behind him and divert his gaze onto Hiccup, Astrid and the rest of the group.

Surprisingly, with him standing by his side was Eira. All cured and healthy from her sick illness.

"By the Allfather it's cold out there!" he said. "It feels as cold as the shivering abyss of Helheim itself! Who ever knew that much snow would hit up here?"

Everyone gave an expression of confusion. "Snow?" asked Astrid. "But it was completely fine yesterday - how the Hel is it snowing now?"

"Young lady, it's that time of the year again. Snow should always be expected, especially since we're located this up north." replied Eira.

"Eira!" smiled Hiccup. "Thank the gods you survived your illness. I see that you're fine and healthy."

She nodded as both her and Magnus reached the group's table and sat next Hiccup on his right side, getting in on their conversation. "Well, that Gothi you have is quite the healer, Hiccup. She earns my thanks. And I do say; this village is filled with the kind of Vikings I've never seen before in my life. They're all so kind. It's like I'm in Valhalla." she joked, getting a few laughs off from those at the table.

An awkward silence soon followed however, and Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins sipped from their potato stews in an attempt to make the situation not look embarrassing, and for a long moment there was nothing to talk about. Until Hiccup spoke.

"So, how are you two doing?" he asked, specifically to Magnus and Eira.

"I'm doing fine." replied Magnus. "I just need a little bit of grub in my stomach. I haven't been eating for at least a day now, and the very least Eira and I could have would be-"

Before he could finish his sentence, they spotted a lady walking over with two bowls of stew in her hands, and before Magnus and Eira knew it, they were met with those bowls sitting in front of them on the table, and immediately they gave their thanks to the cook.

"If you two need anything else, talk with my apprentice. Alright?" she asked, and the two nodded as they started to eat, and she immediately walked off.

"Her name's Grifa. She's the head cook in the Great Hall. Thought you might want to know."

"Hmph… So. What were you talking about, Hiccup?" asked Magnus.

"Mildew." he replied. "That nasty piece of mutton. We've been discussing exactly how we can take him down since he's proved to be a nuisance to all of Berk."

"Not a good idea, Hiccup." the former blacksmith responded. "Before you know it over a hundred people will migrate off Berk and go elsewhere, weakening the Tribe of its people."

"That is why we need to humiliate him." he answered back. "It has to be something to prove that he's not the all-mighty elder he claims to be. He needs to be beaten through perhaps a duel. Surely the old man can at least knock someone out with that stick he calls a staff."

"Nay." said Eira. "You need to prove that his staff is easily breakable."

Hiccup smirked. "How?"

"Slam his staff against a rock. If the staff remains intact, try again. If the staff breaks, so will his neck because he is a smelly old muttonhead."

Everyone at the table gagged on their food and immediately began laughing their butts off. Even Hiccup and Astrid were laughing, though not as hard as the rest of the group was as Fishlegs was the first one to fall out of his seat, just making the laughter escalate more.

"Oh gods." whimpered Snotlout. "I think I felt a tear of laughter run down my cheek. You Eira my friend, you have the natural skills of a jester… unlike someone at this table." he said, implying Tuffnut.

Eventually, the laughing did cease, and Magnus was able to get back on topic with Hiccup. "Well then." he said. "Aside talking about Mildew… I want to tell you something- or well, show you something."

Hiccup gave a curious expression as Magnus reached into the back of his cloak and took something out from one of his pockets. It was hard to tell what exactly it was at first, but when it was laid on the table Hiccup instantly knew what it was.

"This was the woolen blanket your father found me in…" said Hiccup.

"Aye, yes it is." replied Magnus.

"But… why have you brought it before me? Is there something you want to _say_? Is there something that you found out?"

"Sort of…" began Magnus. "It doesn't necessarily have to do on who your parents initially were, but more on the fact of where you came from. I took a closer look with Gothi who helped me in inspecting the blanket, and eventually we soon came to a big discovery."

"What?" asked Astrid. "You mean you know where he was-"

"Yes." he replied. "And we've come to conclude that the blanket which Hiccup slept in when he was an infant was the same making of a Hooligan Viking."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Then that means…"

"Yes, Hiccup. You were born on Berk from the start. Your parents are somewhere here on this island..."

…

* * *

Ivar sat atop a throne overlooking the docks of Kattegat. He saw over four hundred ships ported next to the city, and they had filled up the Fjord to the point where only few ships could leave through the channel in a row at a time. But the one ship that caught his attention was one of the Iron Wolf Clan's ships that was made out of dark iron and light but sturdy wood - surprisingly floating above the water.

"Chieftain Vlar!" he called out, and the Iron Wolf's Chief diverted his attention as he walked towards Ivar.

"Yes, my King?" the Rus' asked.

"That large ship right there. The one made of iron and wood. What is it called?"

Vlar chuckled. "That ship?" he asked. "That ship is a cog ship, made and designed differently than other cogs which are made only out of wood. But for these these iron cog ships - they are our battleships. They're armed with many weapons and carry lots of siege equipment, and are enough to take on three longships alone. Though they lack the speed, they definitely do have the weapons."

"I see…" replied Ivar. "And how many of these _iron_ cog ships can you make?"

"As many as I want. I own them after all."

"Very well." the young man said as he scooted himself closer to his right and tilted his head near Vlar. "I'd like to ask something of you, then."

"Anything, my King."

A smile extended across Ivar's face. "I want you to begin a mass construction of these great ships, here in Norway. I'll supply you with slaves and hired workers to help you with your construction, and then I'll find a location near the ocean where you can start building them. Your income will be a couple hundred pounds of gold per month."

"Then it is settled." said Vlar. "I will build these ships and make a fleet for you, while also adding iron to the longships; though I may need to make the longships bigger as the amount of iron I have planned will just sink it. Plus, I have a secret weapon already in the makings…"

Ivar grinned. "Oh? And what does it do?"

"Let's just say that this weapon will blast the Dragons out of the skies…"


	16. Gone Too Far

**Happy New Years, everyone! With another year beginning, so does another chapter as the story continues! Though I will say, this chapter will be a bit more darker than usual. (Also, apologies for any grammar mistakes you see in this chapter, just try to word them out the best you can if you see any.)**

 **Also, a thanks to MrsMagnusB, HikariCruz, SkyTalon, KaliAnn, and KorrieChan for reviewing the last chapter!**

 **Now, without further ado, let's continue our story!**

* * *

Magnus shut the door as he walked into his newly made hut that overlooked to the ocean. He'd been living there for a couple of days now and so far he had enjoyed it. In front of him sitting by the hall's table was Hiccup, Astrid and Eira having a discussion about the blanket.

"Any luck?" asked Eira.

"Nope." he replied sitting next to them. "So far there has been no sign of Hiccup's parents. I searched all over the village from corner to corner and from road to road, and no one knew the owner of this blanket."

"Did you ask Stoick?" asked Hiccup as he sat up.

"The Chieftain was too busy… I'm sorry Hiccup, so far there hasn't been anything. Though I promise you that I will continue my search for them - and you will help us, right Eira?"

"Of course." said Eira.

Hiccup gave a sigh. "Perhaps they thought I was dead in which they decided to pick up their things and leave Berk. Gah, I don't know, Magnus. Maybe they're just not here…"

"Hey, don't think like that." said Astrid as she rubbed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We'll find them. We just need to look more. I know that they're around here somewhere."

"And if they're not?"

"Hiccup, stop doubting yourself." she replied. "I know they are. Just believe in yourself, and before you know it we will find them."

"But I- ...alright." he sighed. "Can we just get off the topic of this for now, though? There's something else I'd like to talk about."

"Mildew?" they all asked in unison, receiving a nod from Hiccup. "Mildew." he said. "Any news of what he's done recently, perhaps maybe even on what's happened with his loyalists?"

"Well, so far there hasn't been much with Mildew himself." said Magnus. "However, the three loyalists that were thrown into the cells have been charged by Stoick for assault. At first, the councilors didn't know why - but that was until Snotlout stepped forward and explained to them that he and his friends; especially you, were assaulted in the middle of the night by those loyalists. The council soon became infuriated with the three men for attacking the Heir and instantly they agreed with the charges."

"And what does Mildew think?" asked Hiccup.

"Mildew doesn't believe it, but we're going to execute those three regardless of what the old shepherd thinks… though in the meantime, there other matters that we have to worry about."

"Aye." said Eira. "We have to focus on Ivar, as well as finding out who Hiccup's parents are. They could be anywhere on Berk."

"Then I suggest we begin our search." responded Astrid as she stood from her chair. "The sooner we find his family, the better it'll be for us. I'd rather not wait it out, and besides, you seem upsettingly desperate, Hiccup."

"I know." he said. "It's just that I don't know what to say to them the moment that I will meet them. What will they think of me? What questions shall I ask them? What- ...well, you get it."

"Then let's waste no more time." began Magnus. "Eira, Astrid, you two will come with me around town as we try to find out where exactly the whereabouts of Hiccup's parents are. Astrid, you know Berk more than any of us here - you can guide us around as well as help Eira and I ask the people around. We can cover more ground quickly this way and ask more townsfolk at a time."

"A pretty solid idea." replied Eira. "I like it."

"What about me? Do you want me to come?" asked Hiccup.

"It's much safer here for you, Hiccup. Mildew's loyalists are everywhere all over this town. It's best you stay out of sight. They could plan out another ambush if they see you alone, and the last thing we would want is open violence in this town."

"Then it's settled." said Astrid. "Let's go."

The three Vikings soon stood from their seats and began making their way out into the open of the village, with Astrid waving back at Hiccup as they finally made their way out of the hut.

Hiccup sat there alone as he allowed his mind to take over on his thoughts. One part of his brain would think about what Ivar was doing, the other would think about Mildew and what exactly he was scheming to do with Berk and likely Stoick, and then the last part of his mind thought about who his parents were and where they were residing on Berk… but then something else popped into his brain. Into another part.

The fourth part of his thoughts now turned towards the Night Fury he saw in the cove days ago. So far he hadn't understood the Dragon completely, specifically on his feral actions as he was less hostile to Hiccup.

"The Night Fury." he said to himself. "Why didn't he attack me? All it wanted was fish, and that's what I gave it - but even if I didn't it still left me alone. What is with that Dragon? Whatever his name is-"

Then, it was in that instant that a name popped into his head. He didn't know how he could've thought up of such a name, but it somehow ended up in his thoughts, and repeatedly the name kept repeating itself inside his head. One word:

 _'Toothless. Toothless. Toothless.'_

"Toothless." he once again said to himself. "Huh, that's a fitting name. I mean- it does have retracting teeth, so why not call him that?" He took a moment to pause and then looked up towards the ceiling, giving off a smile. "Yeah… Toothless! I mean, why not-?"

Before he could finish, a loud knock soon came at the door of the hut. Hiccup raised one of his brows, wondering if Magnus and the others came back early, or if it was someone else that stood outside the door. Perhaps it was a messenger from Stoick? Or Gobber looking for Magnus? ...Or, was his parents finally found and they stood outside the door? What was it?

Hiccup had to know. Immediately he stood from his chair and allowed himself to walk towards the door, slowly opening it as he glanced outside the hut…

But once again, he would regret doing such a foolish thing as he saw a large tight fist come crashing down above his head, hitting him hard and rough as his vision soon turned black.

…

* * *

"Have you seen this blanket before?" asked Magnus.

"Nope." replied the woman. "My husband and I never knitted a blanket with brown fur for our child. We gave him a crib."

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Absolutely." replied the man who stood next to his wife.

Magnus sighed. "Very well. I am sorry for wasting your time."

"No problem, lad." the man responded.

Astrid, Magnus and Eira had by now been exploring the village for nearly three hours, and so far they had not the slightest clue on where Hiccup's parents were. They eventually met in the crowded plaza of Berk, but by far many of the denizens had not seen the blanket before, or they already had their own for their children.

After much searching, the three young Vikings rallied up near the empty Blacksmith with blank expressions mixed with frowns of hopelessness. "Did you find anyone?" asked Astrid.

"Nope." said Eira. "Not a single trace. I gave a clear description of the blanket to everyone I came by upon, but they had never seen it in their lives, or they just didn't have children."

"Ok." she said. "And what about you, Magnus?"

"Nothing." he replied with a deep sigh. "I retraced my steps from when I began my search, and still I didn't find anyone who owned the blanket - or, like Eira; I found those who said they had no children… it seems like we're at a dead end, guys."

Astrid grunted, stomping her foot into the snow as she leaned against one of the supports of the Blacksmith, covering her face in her palm. "What are we going to do...? Hiccup is going to have a breakdown and lose hope once we tell him that there was no sign of them. This is overall exhausting."

"Stay calm, Astrid." Magnus assured as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders, looking down at the younger Viking who was a few inches shorter than him. "We will find them. Just remain yourself and don't worry, alright? I understand you're exhausted, but still we must press on."

Astrid who was staring down at the ground from exhaustion gave a nod to the older Viking, and he patted her right shoulder before giving a small fist bump which she gladly responded to as a smile began to grow on her face.

"You certainly know how to cheer people up, Magnus." complimented Eira.

"Well, that's experience." he responded with a hearty chuckle. "Now, I suggest we get back to my hut before Hiccup starts wondering where we are.

Astrid and Eira agreed, and soon enough they all started making their way back to Magnus' hut, following the snowy-dirt path. However, as they went along the road they noticed a Viking passing by them with a glaring smile as if he committed a crime or prank that pissed off the victim. The three didn't mind him as they knew that Berk was filled with strange people.

Closing in to the hut, Magnus immediately spotted something wrong. There were holes on the outside walls of his hut as if someone had been swinging a mace, and the wooden door was slightly opened as if someone broke in. He then gasped from this sight.

"Hiccup…" he said as he started running towards the door, and that running soon turned into sprinting. Eira and Astrid from behind started running as well, following Magnus.

The older Viking knocked on the door of his hut, and slowly it creaked open to reveal a horrible sight before him. His _entire_ hut was trashed with chairs knocked over, planks of wood broken from the wall, and the table and other furniture flipped on its' sides with papers of parchment from his work desk spread out all over.

"What the HEL!?" bellowed Eira as her eyes were soon met with what Magnus was seeing.

"No. He's gone..." gasped Astrid as she slammed her fist into the sturdy wooden door frame of the hut. "Gods DAMN IT! I knew I should've stayed with him! If I hadn't left his side then he'd be completely fine- ...what I have done, oh gods why did I-"

"Astrid!" interrupted Magnus as he flicked his hand to her upper arm, gesturing her to relax. "Calm down. If we all act up in this state then we'll never _find Hiccup_. We have to think."

"So what's the plan?" asked Eira.

"Whoever's been here certainly didn't have a liking to me or Hiccup. We need to spread the word that he's been kidnapped." He turned his gaze back onto Astrid. "Astrid, find Stoick and tell him of what's happened. Tell him that someone has captured Hiccup and taken him who the Hel knows where."

"What should I do?"

"Eira, go to the arena and assemble my personal warriors, my bodyguard. Tell them all that I require their presence at my hut due to something bad that has transpired."

He then unsheathed his sword. "I will stay here and guard my hut. I think I have a good idea on who could've ordered such a dishonorable act, and if I see him, then I won't hesitate to cut down the old shepherd."

…

* * *

Stoick knelt down towards the floor where Hiccup stood when he opened the door. There was a small pool of blood which was drying up against the wood. He ran his hand across it and dabbed his fingers at the red liquid. Behind him outside the house, guards were marching to keep the area secure.

"He was beaten unconscious." he stated. "It seems that one punch was able to knock him down and cause him to bleed as he is scrawny unlike many of the Vikings around here-"

He instantly stopped in his track of words, hearing himself of what he was saying, and he turned to face Astrid who had her arms crossed, realizing that she was scrawny-like as well. "Oh, ah… my apologies."

"Continue, Chieftain."

Stoick cleared his throat. "As I was saying, for him to be knocked out and have this much blood come out of him would've taken one rough blow to the head for a very bloody nose along with cuts along his body, as well as more hits towards the stomach and other parts of his body to completely blacken him out. Whoever devised this was no push-over and must've planned it out thoroughly… those fools."

"Do you think you know where he is, Stoick?" asked Fishlegs who stood next to him in helping him observe the bloody scene.

The Chief shook his head. "I do not. But Magnus and Eira might know once they return. I've sent them out an hour ago to go find Hiccup. We can only hope that the lad is safe."

"I want to go out and look for him." replied Astrid. "I'm responsible for looking after him as a friend. He's my closest friend by far, and I don't want to lose him. Please, Chief, by all the gods' sake let me go search for him."

"Lass." he began. "It's not your fault that he was taken and kidnapped. Those responsible are those who had beaten him and planned this out. You never saw it come, thus you nor Magnus and Eira could've done anything. However, I fully respect the fact that he is your friend… and because of that I will let you go search for him. Very well, Astrid. I won't stop you."

Astrid then wasted no time and she headed straight for the door, jolting through as she made her way back into the open of the village with snow lightly falling and the day beginning to turn into night. She had to find Hiccup soon, otherwise who knew what would happen to him them.

She ran through the snow, wondering where to first begin her search to finding Hiccup. "There has to be a place - he's got to be around here somewhere!" she said to herself. And then, a thought popped into her head and an idea soon became present as she considered where to start first.

Astrid started her search near the docks with a lantern in hand given to her by one of Magnus' guards, beginning at the upper portion of the docks as she slowly made her way down, looking around every corner from above her to below her as well as from left to right.

The docks had to be a good place to begin due to the reasoning.

Mildew wanted to throw Hiccup off of Berk, though it is clear that he might've escalated it to the point where he probably wanted to slowly kill the scrawny young man for killing his loyalists, before likely shipping his dead body off to sea in a longboat, hoping that it would find its way to Ivar.

'When will that old man learn that Ivar's after all of us!?' she thought to herself. 'His act will only give the evil King a lead to where Berk is…'

Disregarding the thought on Ivar, she went back to focusing on Hiccup. His name echoing in her head. ' _He has to be_ _around here, he has to be around here, gah, he must be somewhere around here_!'

But it was then that in the corner of her eyes down below between two piers she noticed a skinny figure hanging by two chains attached around his wrists. Running towards it with a closer look and with more light, she could make out the figure of a make Viking who was stripped of everything except for his leggings. His skin was pale and his hair wet whilst his feet were completely drowned into the frozen waters of the docks, reaching up to his ankles.

Getting an even further and closer look, she inspected the young man and gasped as his characteristics were clear. His hair was auburn and his face was familiar to her as she immediately knew who it was.

"Hiccup." gasped Astrid as she dropped the lantern to the wooden floor boards of the docks and ran over to try and reach him, but the shirtless lad was too far to reach.

Suddenly from her left she heard two pairs of footsteps coming towards her, and in her defense she unsheathed her axe and pointed it at the two figures who were approaching her. "Stay back, you pathetic loyalists! Enough damage has been done to-"

"Easy, Astrid!" called out the familiar voice of Magnus with Eira standing next to him. "We were just searching around for Hiccup, but so far we have no luck on his trace. I assume you've come out to find him?"

"I've already found him!" she said, pointing out the almost-lifeless figure of Hiccup between the two piers. Both Magnus and Eira gave out small gasps, and Magnus quickly made his way over onto one of the piers where one of the chains were being held. Then he turned his gaze to Eira.

"EIRA!" he called out. "Get onto the other pier! Help me free Hiccup!"

…

* * *

Hiccup felt something soft against his back and head along with a warm and cozy fabric covering him. He blink once and saw colors. He blinked twice and he saw blurry shapes. Then he blinked three times and saw the shapes beginning to take form.

He laid in a bed he was unfamiliar with, and he looked around and saw that he was in an unfamiliar hut, but before him sat Stoick, Astrid, Magnus and Eira who gave sighs of relief upon his awakening, though Hiccup was slightly startled upon seeing them.

"Oh… it's you guys- argh!" He felt a wave of pain spread through his left arm as he looked down at his bruised and cut body. "Everything hurts…" he groaned.

"Easy, lad." said Stoick. "You're in my hut resting where my son once slept. I placed a bed here in any case that if a guest or Chieftain from another island were to sleep over the night, though for now consider it yours. I'm placing you under _my_ protection."

"Mfmm… I really appreciate it, Stoick." he groaned again. "But I want to get revenge on that _son of a bitch_ who ordered his men to beat me to a pulp and leave me to die."

"Whoa, language." joked Astrid, getting small chuckle off Hiccup, though he squinted from the pain.

"Tell me, Hiccup." began Magnus. "Who did this to you? Who stripped you of your clothes and left you to die beaten and cold? What kind of sick bastard are we talking about here?"

One word escaped Hiccup's mouth. "Mildew…"

"Mildew?" asked Eira. "That old man and his psycho loyalists did this to you?"

Hiccup gave a small nod. "He dragged me into his hut on the far side of the village where I was beaten by him with his staff and cut up until I couldn't speak. Everything hurts… so much right now." His groan was now louder and longer than before.

Before anything could be said after that, Magnus stood up from the chair he sat on and said in anger; "I've had enough of Mildew's actions. He's taken it too far this time, and now I'm going to make him pay for this." The angry Viking then began to walk with stomping feet down the wooden stairs, but not before being stopped by Hiccup.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" asked Hiccup, sitting up from his bed.

"I'm going to teach the old man a lesson." Magnus replied coldly. "Even if I have to give the pathetic shepherd a Blood Eagle execution myself…"


	17. Enough Is Enough

**Before starting, I'd** **firstly like to thank MrsMagnusB, BrawlerGamer, TheGreatGodzilla, KaliAnn, and Becca771 for the reviews last chapter!**

 **And secondly, just so you all know; the next chapter will be the main showdown between Hiccup and Mildew, so if you're enjoying this story thus far, then oh boy next chapter will be a _fighting_ treat for you. ;)**

 **Now, with that out of the way, let us continue on with our story...**

* * *

Hiccup woke up the next morning feeling less pain throughout his body. He blinked his eyes slowly until his vision began to clear up, and he looked to his right and saw a large figure sitting next to him. At first his dizziness made it difficult for him to make out, but as that cleared up too he could soon tell who it was that sat near him on the wooden chair right by the bed.

It was Stoick.

The younger Viking used his arms and elbows to support him as he sat up against the wooden wall and pillow, tiredly gazing at Stoick with morning eyes.

"Ah, it's good to see you awake, lad." he said. "You passed out last night after Magnus left… it was horrible."

Hiccup gave a muffled sound as he nodded. "It's horrible enough to feel bolts of pain spread out through your arms and chest. Mildew could've cut my chest opened were it not for the fact that he had other matters to attend to. The cowardly old man, he-"

"I don't mean that, Hiccup." Stoick interrupted, giving off a sigh of stress. "It's about Magnus. The lad was… In deep anger last night. Deep hate."

"W- What happened?" stuttered Hiccup.

"When Magnus left my hut yesterday he had gone berserk and nearly went insane as he made his way to the other side of the village where all of the loyalists resided… it was a bloodbath." He then stopped for a moment and turned his head, staring his eyes into a nearby candle that was lit.

"Magnus went on a hunt and pursued Mildew's men, slaughtering as many loyalists as he could find. The lad should consider himself lucky that he got away. When he came back to me he was covered in blood…"

"How many loyalists did he say he slaughtered?"

"Twenty five." he responded coldly. "Nearly a fourth of Mildew's warriors, slain by a single man. When I saw the very few cuts that were on Magnus as well as the amount of blood that covered his face, I knew he fought like a real warrior. I knew that he was Viking."

Waking up to an early morning and already Hiccup was speechless from the news Stoick gave him. His friend - his _brother in arms_ , Magnus, had gone berserk and slew a fourth of the loyalist population that served Mildew as his warriors and soldiers. And yet he managed to get away without sparing a single combatant and without being caught.

Hiccup looked back up at Stoick after some deep thinking. "Where is he now?" he asked.

"Back at his hut. He's… somewhat fine." answered the Chieftain. "Part of him however is scarred from the events that transpired last night. The killing, the thought of your torture at the hands of Mildew; it's made Magnus stressed. If I were you, I wouldn't disturb him for now."

Hiccup shook his head. "Well there has to at least be something which we can do. If this continues on, Ivar will…"

"Ivar is not going to take Berk." the large Viking assured him. "I will do everything in my power to stop him, even if I have to get rid of Mildew and his loyalists so we can have no more complications or inner conflict."

Hiccup nodded in the understanding of his words. And as he was about to say something to Stoick, the door to the room busted opened as both he and the Chief turned their heads to face the figure that stood outside the door. It was Astrid. She breathed rapidly, exhausted from sprinting over to Stoick's hut from wherever she came from.

"Astrid?" asked Hiccup. "What are you doing here?"

She crouched down, getting air back into her lungs until she managed to find the breath and words to stand up and speak. "Hiccup, Stoick." she began. "It's Mildew. He's making a move. The old man and his loyalists are gathered in the plaza, shouting for you to come out, Chief. He wants to make a demand with you."

Stoick's brows lowered with a grunt muffling from his mouth. His face turned into a pissed expression as he stood from his chair, grabbed his helmet and stormed out the room, with Astrid making way for the angry Chieftain.

Hiccup however expressed his confusion. "What does he want?" he asked.

Astrid shook her head with a frown. "He demands that Stoick fights him in the arena for the title and rank of Chieftain of the Hooligan Tribe. Mildew's gone insane after he heard about the slaughtering of his loyalists, and he wants to become the Chief."

"...Not unless I have something to say about it." he replied angrily, slowly standing up on his feet as he slid out of bed - despite the remaining pain there was in his body. "I may be injured, but I am not going to let this slide by. Snotlout holds the rightful position of becoming the Chief if Mildew kills Stoick, but the old man has gone too far this time."

"So then what are you going to do?" asked Astrid.

Hiccup responded as he slowly turned his head to face the surprised blonde girl. "Get my sword, Astrid. It's time that I make this right and do what must be done…"

…

* * *

The mighty Chieftain stood atop the great stairs, gazing upon the dozens of warrior-loyalists of whom were gathered and called to be rallied by Mildew's side, wanting to put down the Chieftain of Berk for good. The men all yelled and shouted threats at Stoick, throwing out their weapons and spitting at him as if he were nothing to them.

Mildew then banged the base of his staff into the snowy ground, ordering silence among the ranks, and then he stepped forward out of the crowd - wearing edgy-like robes that nearly cracked up Stoick upon view. But his serious thoughts got the better of him and Stoick kept a glare on Mildew.

"Stoick Haddock the Vast..." he began. "Ye ar' now viewed as nuthin' but a traitor an' ye've dun enough te make tha Hooligan Tribe weak! I demand tha' ye hand over tha rank o' Chieftain te me!"

"The only traitor here is you, Mildew." responded Stoick.

"You've done nothing but cause trouble for this town and its people. You have killed innocents for your own benefit and reputation, robbed houses under my nose for knowledge and value, and lied to your own men about being some arch-elder who can see visions like a prophet. You are no seer. You are a liar; for I should've exiled you long ago."

"FOOL!" one loyalist called out at Stoick.

"LIAR!" another shouted.

"SHAME OF YOU, HADDOCK!"

The crowd of loyalists soon started yelling at him again, and it took another hit of Mildew's staff to silence then.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Mildew, glaring around at his men before he turned his direction towards Stoick again. "As I said, yer time o' Chiefin' is over. Either ye cen giv' up tha title an' rank of Chieftain, o' I cen challenge ye te combat an' take it from ye by force-"

A nearby voice echoed around the plaza, ceasing all voices from the loyalists' mouths, especially Mildew's. Hiccup walked towards the old man with Astrid by his side. "Not unless I have something to say about it." he said loudly.

The shepherd glared at Hiccup in confusion. He expected the young Viking to be dead, but how was he alive? "Bah! 'Ow's this possible?" he grumbled, and immediately his eyes fell back onto Stoick. "Ye 'elped 'im, didn't ye Stoick? Ye've sealed eur fate! Ivar's gunna-"

"He's going to come after all of us regardless of what you try, Mildew!" spat back Hiccup. "You don't know him as well as I do, and no matter what you do you cannot get him to leave, even if that involves trying to throw me off the island which you failed at doing!"

"Then I'll thruw ye off tha island meself if I cen't kill ye slowly first!"

Hiccup splurted, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the man. "And if you do so then you will risk your own life. After all, you have just admitted your crimes to the Chieftain."

"No I 'aven't!"

"Yes you DID, you old deaf bastard!" Hiccup bellowed, his tone getting louder. "You just said out loud that you'd throw me off the island if you couldn't slowly kill me first! That is what you did last night… you bound me, gouged cuts all over my body along, and gave me dark bruises! Then, you chained me between two piers in the harbor and left me to die in the cold!"

"An' wut proof do ye 'ave o' this, boy?" the old Viking asked with a smirk on his face. "Ye cen't prove tha' I took ye without 'aving sumbody as a witness-"

"Stop being a fool, Mildew! He has all the proof he needs!"

A distant voice from behind Mildew and his loyalists caught everyone's attention as they all turned around, only to see Magnus standing there, with Eira, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, and the Council right next to him. Glares beamed from their faces onto the traitor.

"Well, look 'hoo it is! If it isn't-!"

"Save your speech, liar." the young man interrupted. "We know that you took Hiccup and attempted to slowly kill him by leaving him _shirtless_ and chained in the cold last night. His feet were inches in the freezing waters of the docks, and his wrists were red by the time we released him. To me, you're no different from Ivar the Boneless. You have clearly butchered people you found unworthy just to keep your putrid reputation standing, but your recent actions have just lowered them and you've done the opposite in _trying_ to stop Ivar. In fact, you've become just like him, monster…"

Mildew was now speechless. He stood there in embarrassment in front of his loyalists from Magnus' speech. The younger Viking had been able to summarize everything which Mildew had done; damaging Hiccup, innocent people, and by whole the entirety of Berk. He had gone from an 'elderly shepherd' to a monster who was power-hungry for his reputation, and thirsty for the blood of any who publicly opposed him.

But now, it seemed all of Berk was now opposing him.

The old man snarled and grunted at Magnus. He turned his gaze towards his loyalists and shouted loudly; "KILL 'EM, BUTCHER 'EM, I WAN' TE SEE BLOOD!"

Immediately the loyalist warriors started to march and advance in all directions as they pointed their weapons out and raised their shields up in front of them. However, this would not sit through with Magnus as he unhooked a horn from his belt and blew it loudly.

The blowing noise echoed around the area, and the loyalists quickly stopped their march, looking around as another sound joined along with the horn after a moment had passed. A stomping sound of multiple feet was heard once, and then again, and then again, and then again… and soon it became obvious.

It was marching.

From around all corners, multitudes of soldiers came storming heavily into the plaza, wearing tabards that represented the island of Berk, and the Hooligan Tribe as a whole. Their boots hitting the snowy ground intimidated the loyalists as Mildew looked from left to right, watching the warriors fill into the plaza until he and his loyalists were surrounded.

Spears were now pointed directly at the warrior-loyalists, and if they attempted to strike then they would easily be overwhelmed by greater numbers and greater skill, thus the loyalists without order laid down their arms.

Mildew looked back at them in surprise, and a glare became clear on his face as he looked back at Magnus. "Gah! 'Ow did ye do this!? 'Ow wus this possible-"

"There's this thing called sneaking, Mildew." answered Snotlout as he stepped forward, wiping his hands in a taunting manner. "When I saw you and your loyalists first gather in the plaza, my warriors were already gathered at the arena to do some combat training. And when the news of your move was given to me, I knew that you left yourself exposed in one place."

"Ye planned this!"

Eira then replied, " _Yes_ he planned it, it's something that you always fail to do, Mildew."

"An' it is clear ta I an' tha Council tha' y'ave committed treason against Berk an' tha Hooligan Tribe." stated Gobber. "Ya have little choice but ta surrender, Mildew. It is over."

"Wait." said Hiccup as he walked forward in front of the crowd of loyalists, stopping until he was several feet away from Mildew.

"As much as I know, these loyalists will remain _loyal_ as long as Mildew lives." he stated to the Council. "Thus, I believe a different course of action is in order."

"Wut do ye mean, boy?" Mildew asked gutturally.

"...I challenge you to a duel to the death, Mildew! A duel that will decide who will be humiliated. If I win, you are humiliated in front of the whole village. And if you win, you may leave Berk along with your loyalists and I shall be humiliated."

Gasps were let out from both the loyalist and the Hooligan warriors, all of them surprised from hearing Hiccup's response and offer to Mildew. Even Astrid became tense from his words.

She shook her head. "Hiccup, you can't just-!"

"Very well, then, 'Iccup." laughed Mildew. "I accept yer challenge o' a fight' te tha death, but only on one condition. An' tha' is tha' we fight tha duel with regular Iron blades!"

Astrid and Stoick's eyes widened. They knew that if Hiccup was to take the challenge then he wouldn't be able to use the sword Magnus gave to him. He would stand less of a chance against Mildew, yet more equal.

Silence followed as Hiccup didn't say a word. No one said a word. Mildew just looked at him with a glaring smile, expecting the young Viking to think twice about making the offer to fight him to the death… but instead the opposite happened.

The words that came out of Hiccup's mouth were;

"I agree to your terms, Mildew… tomorrow we shall fight in the arena, and see who comes out the victor."

…

* * *

Ivar drank from his mug of ale with the other four greater Chieftains as they saw hundreds of Völsung Vikings board ship after ship, with General Olaf at the front of the ranks leading them aboard.

Adding on to the thousand Völsung warriors, each of the Nordic, Germanic, and Rus' tribes that had allied with Ivar had devoted a hundred men to the vessels of the first invading force, thus the first wave would be increased by three times the amount.

The Völsung Chieftain leaned back in his wooden chair, turning his eyes upon his General. "How much longer, Olaf?" he asked.

The General turned to face the Chieftain. "We're almost ready, Chieftain. We have yet to load the new weapons that Chief Vlar had crafted onto the iron cog ships."

All of the greater Chieftains, including Ivar, gazed at Vlar with grins on their faces as they chuckled in proud tones. "You have done well, Chief Vlar of the Iron Wolf Tribe." complimented Ivar.

"I do what I can, my King; in the name of the Great Viking Army." the large Chieftain responded in assurance. "I have crafted seven of these finest siege weapons, and as I said; it will _blast_ the Dragons out of the sky."

Karvein, the Chieftain of the Bloody Berserkers arched a brow. "What else can it do?" he asked. "Can it… run over our enemies like a giant boulder and splatter their blood all over?"

Vlar laughed in amusement. "Well, those are what the large iron wheels are for, Chieftain Karvein. It may shoot blasts of fiery metal, it may run over and crush our enemies, it may act like a moving spiked-barricade, and it is as a whole; a killing war machine."

Frode, the Chieftain of the Dark Eye Tribe smirked. "How intriguing…" he smiled. "I sense that the gods are interested in this new… invention. They believe it will be a weapon of destruction against the Dragons, our enemy Vikings, and overall this... Archipelago."

As the Chief of the Broken Axe grinded a sharpening stone against his prosthetic axe-blade, he changed his glance from his weapon to Vlar. "What did you say they were called again?" asked Hjalmar. "You said it was a…"

"It's called a _Devastator_ , Hjalmar." he answered. "The base of the weapon was made to look like one of those Roman Tanks that the Romans made with their shields. And as I said before; it has four wheels attached to it like a cart, it has spikes sticking out at the front, and it holds the most devastating part atop the base that'll fire upon our enemies, thus its named; the Devastator."

"Interesting." said Ivar. "And did you test it out yet?"

"Aye, and it works like a beauty."

The young Chieftain chuckled, grasping his hands in a clap. "Then we shall have no problem when our first invasion force turns the pathetic islands of the Archipelago into ash and rubble. I will enjoy tasting our enemies' blood when we meet them in battle…"

As Ivar leaned further back in his chair, his attention soon fell back onto Olaf who approached the Chieftain with a nod. "All three thousand of our warriors are set and aboard the ships, and the Devastators are successfully mounted on the seven cog ships. We await your command, King Ivar."

"So be it…" grinned Ivar as he stood from his seat, glancing at the dozens and dozens of ships that were ready to depart. The young Chieftain closed his eyes; he inhaled some air, and then exhaled deeply and opened his eyes - his smile was now extended from cheek to cheek.

"Let the invasion, BEGIN!"


	18. Duel Of Fate

**I apologize for the wait, everyone! School has been heavy on my shoulders recently, and I've been doing what I can to get this chapter done. Also, apologies if there are any grammar mistakes! What is certain though, is that this chapter will be the chapter that will turn things around!**

 **Also, a thank you to BrawlerGamer, KaliAnn, and zZCoalPawZz for the reviews last chapter!**

 **Now, no more wait. Let us continue the story!**

* * *

The drums banged loudly throughout the early morning hours within the Arena. Daylight had still not come out, and Hiccup stood there with an iron sword in his left hand and a shield in his right.

Although he could use his weapon in both of his hands without much problem, he preferred using his left most of the time since with his right he was most comfortable with using a shield whenever he was wielding one.

As he looked through the portcullis gates, he felt a slight feeling of tension of nervousness course through his arms and legs, and yet he refused to give in. The only reason being was that it was because of Astrid who was standing right next to him to comfort him with words in case he began to doubt.

He then asked her, "Are you sure about this?" as he turned his head to face her.

Astrid nodded, landing her left hand on his right shoulder. "Remember that Mildew is just an old man." she stated. "His hits and blows may be rough, but his skill is somewhat lacking. You have the upper hand in this case with better swordsmanship, as well as a true sense of fighting. Not even I would be able best you in a spar."

Hiccup responded with a small smile as once again the thought of her words comforted him, thus he still didn't feel alone. And even though with the thought of fighting Mildew was mainly on his mind, another part still lingered from earlier before Stoick had let him out.

…

* * *

 _ **2 hours earlier...**_

Hiccup looked out the window of the Chief's hut, staring at the dozens of villagers that were making their way towards the Arena. Their torches' flames lit up a path of gold, and the amount of people he had to fight in front of felt strange to him on it's own. He never fought in front of others before, only get beaten in front of them by those stronger.

Thus, this to him was like a path of redemption, to show that he won't be wobbling on the ground whilst his opponent beats him to the pulp.

As he looked around the corner, Hiccup saw Stoick walk in with an iron blade in hand. He spun his whole body around to face the Chieftain, and then he stood up on his feet.

"It's probably going to be a bloodbath once you go in there." he said to Hiccup. "I asked Gobber to forge you the finest sword he could, and as light he could make it, though I'm afraid it may be heavier for you."

The scrawny Viking walked over to Stoick who was reaching the hilt of the sword out to Hiccup, and as he grabbed it he could feel a heavy weight difference. He was right when he meant it was heavier.

Hiccup gave a slight grin. "It will do." he assured.

Stoick replied, "Then I guess you know what to do." He then gestured his head towards the outside window, towards the Arena. "It's best that you go. They'll be waiting for you."

The young Viking gave a sigh as walked past Stoick, proceeding to make his way out of the room and downstairs before going out. But as he walked out the door of his room, he stopped in his steps and turned around.

"What is it?" asked Stoick as he raised one of his brows.

At first, Hiccup hesitated to speak in saying what he wanted to say to the Chieftain as he was unsure. But then, the words soon began to form as he knew that there would be no better time to ask Stoick, and finally they came out of his mouth.

"...In that small wooden box on the table." he began. "There are two important items in there. One of them is a map, the other is a blanket…"

He stopped short of his sentence, looking down to the wooden floor and then back at Stoick.

"I'd like to ask that you take a look at the blanket which was once wrapped around me when I was but an infant. I'm sure you'll be able to find my parents before I die."

The young Viking then bowed his head at Stoick before he made his way down.

Stoick wasn't sure of what to say, but he did as Hiccup asked of him, obviously as a favor. He turned his attention onto the small wooden crate, calmly walking over to it as he covered over the top of it which was already opened. The two items he saw were definitely in there, but the blanket definitely caught his attention.

He slowly reached his hand over to it and lightly picked it up out of the box before laying it on the palms of his hands… and it was then that his face gave off an expression of confusion, but also a troubling look.

Memories soon began to pop back to him like a lightning bolt, and his brows slowly rose as he gasped. Something about the making of the blanket and name on the front of it struck him, though the name was obviously labeled 'Hiccup.'

"S-Strange." Stoick stuttered. "Why does this name seem so familiar? Why is the making of it seem familiar as well? Why does it...?"

Then a jolt of his thought soon struck him. A flash from the past overtook his mind and his eyes widened. Two names began to echo in his head, and his past memories soon started to come back to him in an instant as if water was flooding the hut.

The name of his lost and dead wife _**'Valka'**_ beamed out at him like the light of a bonfire would catch his attention. But another also echoed, though he was not sure.

His eyes immediately dropped back down towards the blanket and he started running his hands all over it, in hopes to find what he was looking for…

…and eventually he did.

On the other side of the blanket, underneath the furs, he felt parts of the fabric stick out to his hand almost like they were the letters of a word. He then grabbed both ends of the blanket and spread it out widely, and before him a word was revealed and he gasped.

His shock caused him to nearly drop the soft fabric to the floor, but he immediately caught it as it fell, and he stared at it with empty eyes of sorrow and relief. He felt his eyes get wet, and slowly but surely a tear fell from his eye, and then another, and then two.

"Hiccup…" he sighed, his voice shaking as he placed his forehead against the blanket. "My- my..."

…

* * *

"It seems there's no time left." said Astrid. "The drums have begun to catch in rhythm, so I'd suggest you be ready. Those gates could open any minute."

"And when they do, I'll be ready." he replied, gripping the hilt of his blade tight. "I am eager to meet and fight Mildew in combat once we come face to face."

He rose his head high towards the gate that laid lowered before him. He spun his head and neck in a circle as the sound of bones cracked like knuckles. "I am ready." he announced. "Raise the portcullis!"

The gate immediately rose and the way was opened. Hiccup exhaled a heavy amount of his breath quickly, lowering his brow as he made his way into the circle of the Arena. As he walked in, he raised his weapon, still focusing on Mildew who stood on the other side of the Arena circle with a large Iron mace and shield, and all around the crowds of villagers cheered.

"Did he say iron sword, or _mace_?" he asked himself. "I knew that old man would lie. But, it's his rule. So regardless, I will beat him one way or another."

Mildew stepped forward with a smile on his face. Though he was a skinny old man, it seemed to Hiccup that the leather armor his combatant wore made him look more buff and less of a cripple. Mildew was going to be no push-over.

"'Iccup." he began. "Do ye like me new weapon? I made sure tha' it came out lighter, an' guess wut? It's gunna be covered in yer blood afterwerds."

The young man's eyes squinted. "We'll see, Mildew. I've been trained in my swordsmanship for many years by Magnus in secret - and, though it wasn't much, it was still worth it in the end… I am ready to slice you into bits."

Mildew smirked. "We'll see."

The two soon started to circle each, their gazes diverted on each other and their weapons thirsty for battle. The crowds had gone silent and faced the two with suspenseful stares. Astrid looked at Hiccup from behind the portcullis, her hands squeezing against the iron bars waiting for the fight to begin.

And eventually it did.

The horn's sounding blew across the Arena, and Hiccup and Mildew charged each other with their weapons raised, with Hiccup making the first strike as he dropped and slid past Mildew's legs, making a slice at the old man's left ankle.

The iron blade struck, and immediately part of the leather armor on Mildew's left leg came flying off which left the older Viking vulnerable at the ankle.

In anger, Mildew spun himself around towards Hiccup after missing, lifting the heavy mace over his head as he rushed towards Hiccup in an attempt to bring it straight down on him with brutal force.

Hiccup however was smarter than this. He knew bringing all strength to bear against superior skill would not be enough for Mildew. So, as the mace came down he easily rolled around Mildew, this time aiming for the right leg with leather armor, and with a successful strike that too came off. Both of his legs were now vulnerable.

As Hiccup looked back at Mildew, the old man struggled to pull the mace out of the ground which was now embedded. "C'mon ye stuped-" he grumbled, pulling at the handle of his weapon.

The scrawny Viking laughed at Mildew. "Seriously?" he asked. "I'm more scrawny than you, old man, and I can pull that weapon out." His tone was now taunting.

Mildew grunted, and immediately his anger went over the top. "EHHH YE SON OF A-!"

The mace came flying up in his hands as he pulled it out with the strength he had, and with rage he rushed Hiccup - which to the scrawny Viking was surprising considering that he was an old man.

Mildew then started slicing his mace up and down in the air at Hiccup, as well as side to side, and diagonally, each swiping blow at a fast and quick speed as if Mildew was in a bloodlust.

He dodged and blocked as many blows as he could, but eventually even he was corned into a wall, and Mildew stood before him with his brows lowered and his eyes thirsty for blood. The posture of which he held his mace slightly intimidated Hiccup.

"I'v got ye now, 'Iccup!" he laughed crazily, and he charged the young Viking with his mace raised.

Hiccup's eyes widely breathed intensely on the sight of the somewhat large mace coming his way. He made a quick act and sweep his legs across at Mildew's ankles, and the older Viking was easily handle as he fell to the ground on his back.

The scrawny Viking ran over to him, placing his foot on the old man's chest as he pointed his blade at his throat. All the meanwhile, the crowds of villagers around outside the Arena cheered for Hiccup's performance.

"Surrender." Hiccup demanded. "Or I'll cut your throat here and now."

"N...nu!" spat Mildew. "Bodyguard! GET 'IM!"

Suddenly, two large Vikings from the crowds dropped down into the Arena with swords and shields in their hands, and quickly they both rushed at Hiccup with blood-curdling cries in the roars. The villagers gasped.

Hiccup noticed and immediately jumped off Mildew as he ran to take a defensive position. Although Mildew was free of his grasp, the bodyguards were still his main priority, and they would not get in his way.

The two men circled Hiccup with evil smirks on their faces. He could smell their stench from where he stood, and by the gods it was disgusting.

"Time to die, little whelp." the first bodyguard chuckled, and without wasting any time he lunged at Hiccup with his sword raised and ready to slice down the scrawny Viking.

Hiccup however had no time to waste either, and so he would give his all against the large bodyguards. He raised his shield at the strike that came from the first bodyguard, and as the blade hit his shield Hiccup noticed that the man's lower body was exposed due to his height. With this in mind; he crouched himself down and stabbed the Viking in the left leg, causing him to jerk back in pain.

The crowd above soon cheered once again as Hiccup then took the advantage to plunge his iron blade deep into the man's chest, and just like that he fell over with blood coming out of his wound. "Not even wearing proper armor." he said. "Shame."

Then, the second bodyguard immediately struck - thinking that Hiccup was occupied on the dead corpse of his fallen comrade loyalist, but Hiccup was quick enough to see the strike coming and he dodged it just in time before he raised his sword up into the air and swiftly brought it down upon the man's hand, cutting it into two from the wrist.

The bodyguard soon screamed in pain and shock as he eyed his hand fallen to the ground as he too fell to the ground on his knees. Hiccup then made a quick effort and raised his sword once again before he decapitated the bodyguard with a heavy blow, with his head flying half a yard in the air.

Hiccup looked up at the loyalist crowd that stood on the other side of the Arena. "IS THERE NO LOYALIST THAT CAN KILL ME!?" he bellowed, spreading his arms out in a taunting manner. "IS THERE NO MAN THAT CAN-"

It was then he felt a large impact hit his back, and he felt bolts of pain tear at him with a wave of heat following over it. Mildew struck with a hard hit at Hiccup, and the scrawny Viking fell down towards the ground, but not before turning to land on his back.

He looked up at the old man who held the mace in both of his hands, grasping the weapon tightly. He squinted his eyes at the younger Viking with his head shaking, and he felt a tingle of laughter surge through him as he eventually began to laugh at him.

"Any las' wurds b'fore I end ye, 'Iccup?" he asked.

Hiccup by this point knew now that there was no escape. He was held down with Mildew placing a foot on his chest tightly and firm. Though he was an old man, he still had strength in his legs and fists. However, it was then that Hiccup felt himself go weak, and his vision started to blur all around as blackness began to roll in on him. He couldn't give in now. He wouldn't. And so, with one final act against Mildew, Hiccup nodded and opened his mouth as he said;

"This."

He then swiped his blade upwards as strong as he could and as swiftly as his strength could allow him, hoping that he would find his target - and surprisingly he did. Mildew jumped back in pain as he held his left hand onto what remained of his right hand. Three of his fingers had been completely sliced off by Hiccup, and the shepherd was bleeding heavily as he fell onto his knees.

For Hiccup, his vision turned black as his eyes closed and his skin went slightly pale, rendering him unconscious, but not dead.

"No…" gasped Astrid. "HICCUP! No! ...Wake up, Hiccup! WAKE UP!" She screamed loudly, trying to get the young Viking up even though she was unaware of his state, and she felt her feelings go downhill. However, things for Mildew would begin to go downhill as well as the loyalists above him looked at him with disgust and realization.

"...He's a fraud!" one of them called out.

"I thought he could see visions!" another mocked. "Since when did he mention himself getting most of his damned hand chopped off!?"

"You're a liar Mildew!"

"Look who's the traitor now!?"

"Stoick was right about you!"

Mildew shook his head, backing up as he cowered in fear from his own loyalists turning against him. Now there was no way out for him, and it seemed now that the loser of the match was clear to everyone. Hiccup had fought alone honorably with skill and courage by his side along with strength and intelligence, whilst Mildew dishonorably attempted to hide behind his own men in hopes that he'd easily win. The scales had now started to turn.

From behind, the portcullis of the Arena raised up, and from it came Stoick who marched through the gate with his axe in hand, and his fists clenched tightly. Two guards stood by his side, each armed with spear and shield.

"Whu- Stoick, I didn't knuw tha'-"

"Shut your mouth, old man!" he shouted before grabbing him roughly by the shoulder and pointing his axe against his throat. "If you so dare touch Hiccup again, I will CUT your head off from your shoulders!"

He then angrily shoved the shepherd to the ground, gesturing his guards to proceed to pick up the wounded traitor and carry him out of the Arena. "Mildew, I am arresting you for high treason against Berk, and your death sentence will be decided and carried out by the executor of whom I will choose to have. Your land and property will be taken from you and your loyalists will no longer be able to aid you, now that they see who you truly are."

"GAHH!" Mildew screamed. "I'LL GET YE SUMDAY FER THIS, STOICK! IN THA NEXT LIFE, I'LL FIND YE AN' KILL YE! NO MATTER WHERE YE GO…"

His voice echoed as he was dragged out of the Arena by the guards, and as he was out of sight Stoick's gaze immediately fell upon Hiccup who laid limp in the center of the Arena.

The Chieftain ran over to the unconscious young Viking, dropping his horned helmet in the process as he leaned his ear against the lad's mouth to hear for some breathing, to hear for something in hopes that he was alive. He pressed lightly down against Hiccup's chest with his hands, and as he listened…

He heard a small exhalation of air hit his ear drum.

"Hiccup - he's alive…!" he gasped, hugging him. "My son is alive!"


	19. Execution By Eagle

**Before starting the chapter, I'd like to give a quick thanks to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter!**

 **Also, a response to one of the reviews that caught my attention...**

 **...**

 **Vin: There is a reason that this story is an AU (Alternate Universe). I don't intend on making the characters such as Astrid and Stoick _completely_ IC and accurate in terms of how they were like in RTTE. This is a story I'm writing. The characters will progress overtime and become rather close to how they were, but please don't expect a miracle. If you don't like the story that much though, you don't have to read it.**

 **...**

 **Now, last thing before beginning, I am warning you all that the last scene of this Chapter will be somewhat gorey from what is described, but at the same time it'll be censored out to the point where it doesn't go into too much detail. Either way, reading Mildew's execution is optional!**

 **Now, with that set aside, let's begin chapter 19!**

* * *

Everyone looked down at Hiccup as he slept and laid unconscious. The aftermath of the spar between him and Mildew left him battered and exhausted from fighting, as well as wounded, and after Stoick announced that the lad was his son, everyone's eyes widened and cheers filled the Arena.

Stoick could still remember the words that cheered from the villagers.

" _He's alive! Stoick's son is alive! Hiccup Haddock is alive!"_ he remembered.

"Honestly, all I can say is… I have no words." began Magnus who laid his hand on Stoick's shoulder. "Never had I once thought that Hiccup would've ever been your son."

"Neither have I." replied Astrid. "I thought he just came from a distant land when I first met him - but when we learnt he was born here… I couldn't have ever IMAGINED that Hiccup would've been Stoick's son all of this time."

Snotlout nodded, sitting up in his chair. "Well, at least it means that Berk's true Heir is finally found." he said. "Which also means I can finally retire from being Heir-"

"That's up to my son on whether he would like to take the role." interrupted Stoick, eyeing the group. "He's going to have much on his plate when he wakes up. The lad fought bravely and honorably in the Arena, but I don't see how he'll be able to-"

Groaning interrupted Stoick, coming from Hiccup's weak voice as he blinked and slightly moved in his bed. The scrawny Viking's vision then became clear as he looked around and saw all of his friends sitting around him.

"Thank Thor he's awake." sighed Fishlegs. "You've had a rough time while you were out."

Hiccup groaned to say his next words. "Y-You don't say… that mace hit me hard in the back…"

"Aye, it did." said Stoick, softly patting the young Viking on his small shoulder. "But you took it like a man, and that's all that matters, Son."

"Agh… thanks Dad- wait, what?" Hiccup's eyes immediately widened at Stoick. Did the Chieftain of Berk just call him…

He couldn't have.

But he did.

Then that could've only meant…

"Wait." said Hiccup, shaking his hands side to side to clear his thoughts. "I'm… your son. But how can I… I- but- ...I don't understand. How can I be your son? You said your son was-"

Stoick shook his head with a grin on his face. "That's not what the blanket told me." he said. "My memories came back to me when my eyes fell upon that which you had when you were an infant. I remembered that there was a name written on it which was stuck out when I felt the fabric make out the letters into one word:"

"Haddock."

The young Viking gave off a soft gasp. Was this real right now? Was he dreaming? It couldn't be real - it couldn't be-

Oh, but it was…

"D-Dad." began Hiccup, nervously stuttering the word as he looked up into his father's eyes. "I- I…"

"Relax. Don't say anything, Son." the large Viking smiled. "What matters now is that you're home now, Hiccup. You're home."

Hiccup, wordless and not knowing what to say, did the one thing that he could only do right now which he had at the top of his mind. He rushed towards Stoick, despite the pain in his body and back, and he gave the Chieftain of Berk - his father, a hug with both of his arms around him.

Stoick's eyes widened for a short moment, but he let out a breath of relief as he placed one of his arms around his son, and the others watched with expressions of the same relief.

After so many long years of torture which Hiccup had in a place that was never his home, he never imagined that there would come a day where he would find the real home from which he came from, and meet his father who happens to be the Chieftain of a tall and proud Tribe.

Both Stoick and Hiccup knew however that they'd have a lot of catching up to do…

…

* * *

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Magnus?" asked Eira by his side as they stood outside Berk's jail cells, along with Fishlegs and the Twins.

"I am certain, Eira." he replied to her. "The old man got what was coming to him, and I think it is fitting to give them the end I believe he deserves."

Fishlegs being curious as he was then asked, "Wait, are you telling us that Stoick dubbed you to execute Mildew?"

"That he did." the older Viking responded. "Though the execution which I've discussed with Eira will be one that I do not want you to see."

Tuffnut chuckled. "Why?" he asked. "Will there be blood? Like… LOTS of blood?"

"...Yes." Magnus slowly answered. "But it will be gorey beyond your belief, and you may faint or vomit upon the horrid sight, thus I have made it so that only my eyes, Stoick's eyes, and Eira's eyes may watch the act in which I intend to do."

"Oh come onnnn! Why can't we watch?" whined Ruffnut.

"Unless you want to faint to the point where you feel like you're in Helheim, then keep it down, Ruffnut, and act your damned age! ...That's my final word."

Without saying another word, Magnus took in a fresh breath of air and widely pushed the doors to the jail cells opened. As the wintery day light from outside shimmered and revealed everything before him as he walked in, he noticed an old scrawny figure hung by two chains attached to the wall at his wrists, and his feet were pinned tightly to the ground.

It was Mildew.

"So." Mildew sighed. "I assume ye 'ave come te finish tha job an' put me outta me misery?"

"I have no sympathy for your Mildew." Magnus scoffed as he splurted in a light chuckle. "Though know that I will be the one who will execute you for your horrific crimes."

"Bah! All I've dun is try an' make Berk a better place fer us, one withou' Stoick an' 'is pathetic Council!"

"And all that you've done is caused more damage in return for trying to make Berk in your image, Mildew. You have no power over anyone now, and your loyalists have become a part of Berk once again after seeing what you truly were."

Mildew's eyes widened. "YE WUT!?"

"Yep, that's right." the younger Viking taunted. "All of your loyalists have turned against you, and now they see Stoick as their true Chieftain once again. They eagerly await your execution."

"But tha's nu fair!" the old man whined immaturely. "My loyalists ar'nt punished fer wut they did an' ye-"

Magnus slammed his foot to the ground, interrupting him. "That is because you TRICKED them into doing your bidding, Mildew. Be happy that they didn't rush into the Arena and kill you on the spot… even though your death sentence is already planned."

"Wha- wut death death sentence?"

That question made Magnus grow curious, for it was then that his face grew dark with an expression that sent multiple chills down Mildew's spine. Even then, a small smile grew across the younger Viking's face as he approached the old man, leaning down stopping a couple of feet away from his face.

"I am going to make an execution that no one in this Archipelago has ever experienced. Odin forgive me for such an act - though either way, I will do it."

"...I will draw Blood Eagle upon your back."

"Blud wut-?"

"Yes, you heard me." replied Magnus as he stood back up straight, stretching his arms wide out that represented wings. "You will fly with wings like an eagle. Scream if you must, for you will be sent to Helheim."

…

* * *

"And that's what happened that night." sighed Stoick. "You were taken away by the same Dragon which took your mother, though I have no idea on her whereabouts or how you two would have separated."

"Perhaps I was dropped?"

Astrid, who was sitting next to him gave a shrug. "Could've been that… could've been anything, though."

"Well, there has to be an explanation. If I was with my mother then I would've never ended up in that dump of a Viking city back in Norway. Magnus himself told me that I was found wrapped around the blanket, thus - there should be an explanation."

"We will find out soon enough, Hiccup." assured Snotlout. "The Chief and I however have been discussing something important ever since you were unconscious, and we believe it's time to bring it to your attention."

Hiccup arched a brow, turning his head to face his father who responded with a nod.

"There's something that I must know, Son." began Stoick. "Over the two weeks you were here, I have closely watched your progress with interest. You have saved our people from near division, you have restored hope within me and made me feel like my former self again, and most of all you gave me the one thing that I thought I would never see again. My son."

"That I did but- what are you trying to ask me?"

"...I want you to be the Heir of Berk, Hiccup." the Chieftain responded hesitantly. "Though there will be Chiefly duties for you to do when I'm gone if you become Heir, you will be recognized as my son by all and they will see you as the true future Chieftain of Berk. Snotlout insists you take up the role as he's had enough on his shoulders for the many years he was Heir - but your decision is your own."

Hiccup was now slightly hesitant, but more mind blown. He didn't expect that the mantle of Heir would've been passed down to him that easily. He would've assumes that Snotlout would've wanted to keep the title because of the fame he had for being a good Heir.

And yet… there was something in him that said no.

Hiccup had only been on Berk for two weeks, that was true, but all which he had done was not him alone. Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Fishlegs, and everyone else had helped him through this struggle, so to him the credit was not for him alone. As of now he had no intelligence or wisdom of making a good Heir and overall leader, all he and his friends did were help one another which helped Berk.

And so, with a sigh, Hiccup looked up at his father and opened his mouth:

"I will not take up the mantle of Heir."

"What!?" Stoick, Snotlout, and Astrid let out. Hiccup's answer was indeed unexpected to them.

"I am simply not ready to be the Heir, in which in this case I am not ready to become the Chieftain in general when you pass away, Dad. A war is coming to our doorstep and you think this is a time to celebrate my unexpected return? The return of your son to become Heir? I'm sorry, Dad… but I'm not ready."

The smile on Stoick's face faded away. He looked at his son not with an angry feeling, not with a frown, not with a sad look - but with an expressionless face. He didn't know what to say to his son. After years of him being hidden away from him, he unknowingly returns to his home only to reject the mantle of Heir? ...But it was still his son. His decision was his own, and he couldn't object against it. And so, he did what any father would do.

He pat Hiccup on the shoulder, nodding his head. "I understand, Hiccup. There's still much for you to learn… though I probably shouldn't teach you myself. I say that you should allow Snotlout to mentor you in what he does and follow his footsteps of wisdom, especially in times of war - though they were never on a scale like this before."

Snotlout bowed his head. "I'd be honored to help him."

"Excellent." he replied, giving off a sigh of relief. "Now, I'd say that we should start with-"

Before he could finish, the door to Hiccup's room bursted opened as Magnus stood outside the door with a small hammering tool in his hand. The four of them looked at Magnus with arched brows and confusion - or well, excluding Stoick as he eyes mostly fell upon the hammer, thus he understood.

"Is it time?" the Chieftain asked.

Magnus nodded. "...It is time." he said. "This execution will be beyond anything you've seen before, Stoick. Only your eyes may be truly opened to it along with mine and Eira's."

"...Then I'm ready." responded Stoick. "Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, we will be making our way to the Great Hall where it shall be dark. Whatever you do, do not peak behind the execution curtain, understood?"

…

* * *

Stoick and Eira held down Mildew's hands and back onto the table as he grunted at first in pain, but then he screamed as one nail was hammered down into his right wrist, followed by his left after Stoick released his right hand.

The old man's scream echoed throughout the Great Hall as Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins stood a few yards away from the otherside of the curtain, though the shadows were still visible on the other side.

Mildew eventually stopped screaming, but for him - this was just the beginning of his execution.

"Don't get too nervous…" said Hiccup. "This is just the beginning."

For a moment, Magnus stepped out from the other side and walked towards a heavily lit brazier. He unsheathed a knife from his belt and hovered it over the flames for a while, with the gang watching in slight intimidation. Hiccup was indeed right when he meant that this was the beginning.

After a minute or so, Magnus stepped back behind the curtain and looked down at Mildew, and then he ripped the old man's tunic apart to reveal his bare back. Slowly he raised the knife up to his eyes, inspecting the blade that was still heavily heated and lit orange before looking back at Mildew.

"Odin forgive me for this act." he said to himself. "But it must be done."

Without any hesitation, Magnus stabbed the knife deep into Mildew's back, and the old man started to scream louder than ever.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he could make out Magnus' silhouette, watching the young man slide the knife down Mildew's back with the blade still embedded into his flesh. So far, Hiccup wasn't sure of what to make of this.

Not even a minute passed and the sound of metal and sparks against blood and flesh had stopped as Magnus stabbed the knife into the wooden table, and it was then that Hiccup and the group heard the peeling skin and flesh, and as Astrid stared at the silhouette of Mildew she could make out two large flaps of skin peeling to both sides.

She immediately was about to vomit, but the young lass turned away and nearly fainted as she held it in and fell to the floor. Hiccup noticed this and crouched down to her level to support her and help her up.

His eyes however still stuck towards the silhouettes as Hiccup could now make out the shape of an axe in Magnus' hands, and the lad began to chop down into Mildew's back, one chop after another after another. He could even make out the small shadows of blood flying through the air behind the curtain.

Mildew screamed at his peak. His yelling echoing throughout the Great Hall as pain was all the old man felt, pain which he had inflicted on many that was now being inflicted on him, and he deserved it. After a bit though, Mildew's voice began to weaken as Hiccup then spotted two lung-shaped like silhouettes being placed onto Mildew's shoulders.

And slowly but surely, Mildew died without another scream…

Hiccup couldn't take it and he turned to the floor, rushing away from the group and barfed on the ground in disgust. Never had he thought that such a horrific act would've ever been done right in front of him, and he immediately felt his stomach go weak.

Magnus however was ashamed of what he done. Sure, Mildew did deserve the Blood Eagle execution, but it was not the real Viking way. It was a heathen's way, the barbaric way…

With his face covered in droplets of blood, he looked up towards the ceiling and sighed.

"It is finished..." he said quietly. "...I pray to Odin that I never do another Blood Eagle ever again…"


	20. The Great Tide's Coming

**Sorry about the wait guys! I've been sick for the whole week, and I've been taking some time to recover, however, I did my best in working on the next chapter, but my apologies if you see any grammatical errors.**

 **Also, a big thanks to everyone who reviewed on the previous chapter!**

 **Right, now with that shoved aside, let's continue, shall we?**

* * *

Three days had passed since Mildew's execution took place, and the division between Berk and the former loyalists has been broken and fixed back into unity. And even though one threat had been put down, another was still active and coming, for it wouldn't be long now.

Magnus since the day of the execution had sat alone in his hut with Eira by his side, and for those three days Hiccup had been trying to get him to come out. But alas, the older lad was ashamed for what he had done - the Blood Eagle was after all what the Scandinavian Vikings did, but he was not like them.

He couldn't be.

He was in no way like them.

Though at times during those days he would go out with Eira, usually to catch some fresh air or to take a walk in the forests and overall environment of Berk. However, the winter had something to say to that.

Eventually, the time came when the environment all around Hiccup had become colder. Chilly winds from the North had come down upon the village, Berk had received more amounts of snow, and keeping warm had become essential for many of the villagers…

As he looked out to sea, his mind was focused on the one main threat he had nearly forgotten. Were it not for Mildew's horrific schemes, Berk could've been more prepared for the coming Great Tide.

"Ivar." he said to Astrid and the others who stood next to him. "He's still out there, that I know. But who knows when he's gonna make a move. I predicted that he'd perhaps come to Berk with an army but… there's been nothing."

Fishlegs nodded. "Not to mention that we don't even know how much his Great Army numbers in total."

"...Though we may have an idea." Astrid added on.

Hiccup arched a brow. "Oh?"

"Well… for starters, we know that Ivar's Clan numbers are numbered to a thousand to two thousand like you said. Plus, the Clans and Tribes we're going against could possibly number up a hundred more than most of the Tribes in the Archipelago. So I'd say we're looking at around…" Fishlegs paused for a moment.

"Five thousand or so?"

"I highly doubt Ivar would send all he has to spare into the Archipelago." Hiccup replied on Fishlegs' statement. "Sure his Clan's army alone may be the size of the Great _Heathen_ Army when he invaded England and came back defeated, but he is a bold and extremely intelligent strategist."

"Uh… in this case, how extreme are we talking?" asked Tuffnut, for once understanding the conversation topic.

"Well, he studies the land and his surroundings very carefully." he stated. "He finds flaws in the enemy from the environment, and he uses it to his advantage. Trust me, it's not like the simple old charge and fight against the enemy kind of thing you guys have had with the Dragons. Ivar will go above that, and a lot of it involves using a primary defense."

"A shield."

Tuffnut splurted. "Pfft. What's he gonna do? Smash my head in with wood-"

Astrid would give him a punch to the shoulder, interrupting him mid-sentence as he let out an "OW!" and he looked at her as she gave a faceless expression. Hiccup shook his head, and he gave a facepalm.

"What do you think, Tuff?" he asked. "Of course he's going to bash you in with a shield. Hel, he can order his men to quickly rush to making a wall of shields, and you'll barely be able to even pierce his warriors once that wall is up. He could-"

"Hiccup." Astrid interrupted. "Take it slow. If you overthink of what Ivar is going to do, then you may throw yourself off track. We have to think deeper on what this guy plans to do… and I don't think Ivar will be involved until _we_ meet him."

"Of course we'll meet him! He'll come to us and-" Immediately the young Viking stopped in his track of words. He rethought on what Astrid had just said, and a thought of his own popped in his head. "Wait. What are you saying?" he asked.

"What I'm trying to say is; what if it's not Ivar that is coming to meet us in battle in person? What if he's just behind the curtain whilst he has someone on the front lines doing his dirty work?"

Hiccup's eyes stretched out. "Are you saying that…"

"Yes, Hiccup." she answered. "It could be that he has sent someone else to command his invading fleet. Someone perhaps close to him and close to his Völsung Clan."

"But who could it be?"

"Perhaps someone who has an equal hated grudge on you…"

...

* * *

General Olaf, the former Slavemaster, looked over the horizon as he and his fleet sailed through the fog. His map laid before him with the Archipelago marked, and his iron cog flagship moved without problem even though it was the largest ship among the fleet.

More than a hundred ships followed behind him, each of them holding warriors of twenty five men and women, all of them eager for blood and conquest. The sails as well were changed since the Great Army had now deemed itself as one fighting force, thus the symbol was now that of a red Scandinavian Viking helmet with two axes crossing.

Changing his glances between the map and the extremely foggy horizon, Olaf took in a deep inhale before he slowly let out an exhale, sniffing the air to tell his location… in a way.

"In about two days, we could possibly be close to the Archipelago that King Ivar speaks of." he said calmly. "Though if we hasten up our speed, we could get there in a day at the very least."

"That may be a wise decision." one of his commanders said, who was a representative of the Bloody Berserkers Tribe. "All of our warriors are thirsty for the spilling of blood, and even the Dark Eye Clan wants enemies for their sacrifice to Odin."

"There will be blood spilt soon enough." the General replied. "What _I_ am eager to see is the amount of fire power these Devastators have to offer. Civilizations of these Archipelago Vikings will be reduced to fire and ash, with brimstone falling from the sky. Hopefully the scouts we sent ahead two days earlier have found a valuable target."

"More of our weapons will be made overtime, General." the Iron Wolf commander assured. "We may even go beyond to making our structures and defenses out of the dark iron we possess. After all, King Ivar was the one who found the inspiration and devotion for Chieftain Vlar."

"Then perhaps our King's intelligence may apply to the Iron Wolf Clan, for they've put in the heaviest devotion by far."

"That they have." the Dark Eye commander admitted. "But don't get too use to one Clan. All of the others matter."

"Gah! Can we just think about anything else aside talk!?" the Broken Axe commander let out. "I just want to fight already… we've been traveling in this fog for days and I need blood… otherwise I will go on a rampage among our-!"

"Learn to hold it in…" the Bloody Berserker commander said, interrupting the hot-headed Viking. "There is always a time for planning, and a time for fighting. These iron ships can't go any faster despite them being made of lighter and stronger iron."

Olaf gave a soft chuckle. "Who knew that a Bloody Berserker would make someone look like an amateur through words?" His gaze turned towards the Broken Axe commander whose face was looking red. "Consider yourself lucky though, that you were even brought along to begin with."

Silence enveloped the flagship's deck as the General turned his gaze back towards the direction they were sailing in, still staring at the foggy horizon. He gave a grin as he began thinking on what exactly there would be when he and the fleet had reached the Archipelago that they had been sailing to for nearly a week.

With that in his mind, the Broken Axe commander's arrogance got the best of him, looking at Olaf with a glare as he spat saliva onto the deck. He then unsheathed his axe from his back and gripped it tightly. A small smile extended on his face.

He silently approached the General from behind until he was but a mere couple of feet away from him, and he gave a quiet chuckle.

"You know what. Perhaps you're right, General Olaf." he said. "Let me help you with 'holding in' my anger."

Those words foolishly gave him away. Olaf with haste unsheathed his warblade from his belt and spun around as he grabbed the slightly smaller Viking by the neck and throat. He rose him up in the air whilst holding him tight, and looked at him with a returned glare.

"You're a fool, you weak amateur." the General grunted as the commander choked. "Your arrogance has brought your undoing, and I think your broken axe needs to be shattered to pieces."

The Viking's eyes widened. "Wait, what-!? ARGH!"

It was then that he felt something sharp stab through his chest, and he screamed for a moment in pain. He looked down at his chest and saw that Olaf's blade was impaled right through him.

"You are not worthy of the glory which WE will earn when battle is met! Instead, all that will await you is Helheim for someone useless like you!"

The General gave another grunt, pulling his blade out of the commander's chest as he walked towards the edge of the flagship. "By my right as General of the Great Viking Army, I hereby relieve you of your duty!"

He then held the Viking up over the edge of the ship, and shouted loudly in front of him to his face; "YOU. ARE. DISMISSED, COMMANDER!" and with a violent throw he launched him into the ocean, leaving him to bleed out and die in its waters which was a certainty.

Olaf looked back at the commanders. "Anyone else!?" he asked, and the commanders didn't respond aside from shaking their heads and slightly backing up a step.

His glance then fell on the Bloody Berserker's face. "You." he said. "Find the most intelligent and highest ranking Broken Axe warrior aboard this ship, and make him the new commander in my name…"

The Barbarian gave no question and rushed out of there, quickly walking towards the deck of the ship before making his way down below.

"That was quite an example to those who oppose us." nodded the Dark Eye commander. "Though I'd suggest that we should get ready for what there is to come."

"I already know what there is to come…" Olaf responded, gripping his fists tightly. "I don't need to be taught a lesson in-"

"Look up ahead, General." he interrupted, yet pointed out.

Olaf arched a brow with his glare at first, but then his attention was caught towards a beam of light that shined through the fog. It seemed his estimation of when they'd reach the Archipelago was not what he thought - it was a shorter voyage than he expected.

"Hah!" he laughed. "Finally… we have arrived!"

The crews of each ship were caught by the beam of light up ahead which grew larger and larger as the fleet sailed closer and closer, and soon enough they were in the opening.

Olaf covered his eyes as blinding light shined upon him, and as his vision came back to him and the colors became apparent, he looked around and saw tall pieces of land sticking up from the ocean, along with a Fjord up ahead.

However, something else caught his attention as he looked to his right, and before him he saw smoke rise in the distance from a large wooden fortress of spikes and iron. It was a tall fortress indeed, and it was one worth for the taking.

"Haha! We have our first target, lads!" he laughed, and the ranks behind him below deck slowly started to cheer as word began to spread.

"Ready ALL ranks!" he ordered in a bellowing voice. "Prepare the Devastators, and turn all ships onto that fortress! We will turn it into ash and brimstone and remake it from the ground up! TODAY, WE MAKE OUR FIRST MARK!"

…

* * *

Hiccup looked down at the sword Magnus gave him, holding it against the anvil as he hammer down upon it's blade. He had been working for an hour in the forge on something new which he had planned, believing that there was more which he could do with the sword which Magnus gave him. After all, it was like none he had ever seen when he was first given it.

He then turned his gaze towards a wooden box piled with metal and a few gears which were used for gates and doors, and suddenly an idea occurred to him.

"Hmm… if two gears strike against each other, they may cause a small spark and…"

He continued mumbling to himself, occupied with working as he didn't notice anything or anyone around him. And he didn't since Astrid and Fishlegs stood right behind him, with Astrid crossing her arms and Fishlegs staring at Hiccup, waiting for him to notice them.

After a moment of waiting however, Astrid then cleared her throat and tried to get Hiccup's attention. "Eh-um."

Hiccup turned around, nearly surprised as he slightly jumped back upon seeing Astrid and Fishlegs standing there.

"Geez, guys! You nearly scared the Hel out of me."

Fishlegs stepped forward. "Sorry, Hiccup." he said. "But we're here to bring some news to you. It's pretty important."

The young Viking gave a sigh, putting his sword as well as the gears to the side as he sat atop a nearby barrel, giving his friends his undivided attention. "Very well, guys. What is it?"

"Some of our scouts returned from sailing today," began Astrid. "But they seemed to have been injured as if they were in some sort of fight. The captain stated that he left with a dozen men, only to come back with half the amount he had before."

Hiccup leaned closer in interest. "Did he state what kind of attack it was?" he asked. "Was it a Dragon that attacked them…?"

"It was not a Dragon." answered Fishlegs, walking closer to Hiccup with an arrow in his hand. "This here was pulled from one of the injured crewmen. The captain had told us that he and his crew were attacked by Vikings from a scouting longship, but their numbers seemed heavy."

"How many?"

"Twenty five men." stated Astrid. "But the captain also said that the Vikings who attacked them, they were different. They didn't wear horned helmets, and their crest was unfamiliar. It was a red helmet with swords crossing it from behind like bones."

Hiccup's eyes widened as he looked up at Astrid before glancing back at Fishlegs, snatching the arrow to inspect it. Immediately the making of the arrow became familiar to him - the red feathers, the gray-like wood, and the dark iron tip.

Only one _Clan_ made arrows like this.

"Attacked by Vikings you guys say?"

Astrid and Fishlegs nodded.

"Then it makes sense to me…" the young Viking sighed. "It seems Ivar's men have found their way into the Archipelago, and already they've made a move against us."

"Oh Thor…" responded Fishlegs. "This is bad, VERY bad."

"That's war for you, Fishlegs. Expect the worst from it… Either way, we cannot sit here forever and wait out the storm, we have to make our move and prepare with whatever we have. My father needs to know about this."

Astrid pressed her fists to her hips. "And what are you going to do?"

"Help in the defense." Hiccup replied. "The time for waiting is over. The Great Heathen Army is coming…"


	21. An Unexpected Arrival

**I'd like to give an apology for the wait, guys. My initial plan was to upload this chapter Friday, but due to delays from the site not letting upload the doc as well as having to finish up - I had to wait. But, the wait is over, so no worries. (Also, apologies for any spelling errors.)**

 **And of course, thanks to BrawlerGamer and KaliAnn for the reviews last chapter!**

 **Right, now without anymore waiting - let us go on to chapter 21!**

* * *

"What!?"

Stoick's voice bellowed throughout the Great Hall as he slammed his fist against the arm of his throne. He stood on his feet and walked towards Astrid and the others.

"It's true!" she stated. "Ivar's fleet has outraced us. It seems that a small chunk of his Great Army has made its way here. Chief, we'll be in deep danger if we don't act NOW."

The Chieftain expressed worry in his eyes. "B-but, surely it was _another_ Viking Tribe that the scout captain came by?"

"It wasn't!" called out a voice from far off, as the source of it slowly walked closer and closer, revealing the scout captain wrapped in bandages. "I saw the hostile Vikings with my own eyes! They beared hornless plate helmets, showing only their beards and wicked eyes! They wore chainmail for their armor, and carried furred animal skins on their shoulders! And their axes… their axes were deadly enough to cut your head in two with a simple throw! Their colors were marked black, with a red raven as their crest crossed by two axes! Chieftain, the lass isn't joking!"

"Tha' crest must be tha symbol of tha Great Army." muttered Gobber.

Stoick said nothing… he sighed, falling back in his throne. "There has to be reason on how Ivar could have managed to get his fleet here so quickly within a matter of what… a weeks time?"

"Aye, about a week, sir." nodded the captain. "Though it could've been that they had already planned ahead of time, thus these _Völsung_ were able to outrace us in our time… not to mention the speed of that longship - gods it was fast."

"And, it's large." commented Astrid. "The captain said that it was twice the size of our own longships. He says they have two masts rather than one."

"Aye, that's true as well!" the captain called out again. "It was nearly impossible for me and my men to board the vessel. They just kept jabbing their spears and throwing their axes at us to keep us off."

The larger Viking leaned in his throne. "And what happened when you got onto the ship?"

"...It was a slaughter." the scout captain said, after a moment of silence. "We were flanked all around by two dozen men as they rushed us, at least twenty five. They killed half of us in less than two minutes, while we only got a few kills off them. They were fast, agile, strong, and skillful, and they weren't even as muscular as us! Hel, there were women in their crew!"

Tuffnut splurted in a giggle of laughter. "Pfft! Obviously! What do you think they are they gonna do, cook us a poisoned Yak-?"

"TUFF!" Astrid let out, silencing the young Viking as he squinted his eyes at her with a frown.

"What an amateur..." he said, low enough for Astrid not to hear him.

"As I was saying though," continued the captain. "You can see what we're up against. If one of these ships are in the Archipelago carrying this many men, who knows how many more are out there?"

Stoick placed a fist against his cheek. "What did Hiccup say about this?"

"He's going to help in making preparations for the coming tide." answered Fishlegs, stepping closer to join in the conversation. "We don't know how many our enemy has to throw at us, or even how big they numbered. All we can do is wait and be ready."

"Hmph. I have a feeling that the Great Army will be bigger than we imagined..." responded Snotlout. "However, we still have yet to see how they are in combat. Once a Viking, always a Viking - I will not stand down."

"...Eh, lad 'as a point." pointed out Gobber, causing Stoick to change his direction from his facefist to the large Viking. "Stoick, ye an' I 'ave gone against tha toughest foes of our time, an' not once did we know what they could'a done ta us - all we know is tha' we went in an' came out tha victors. T'was tha same reason tha' we triumphed over Alvin before he surrendered and became friends with us, or even with Dagur before he offered ta ally with us."

"And your point is?" the Chieftain asked.

"What I'm sayin' is tha' no matter how great tha threat is, we'll still show 'em what it means ta be Viking. Ya've shown our former enemies in tha past what it means ta be Viking. Now, it's time ta show tha Völsung what happens when they mess with tha Hairy Hooligans. We don't know what they 'ave in store fer us, but I say tha' we'll bring 'em battle one way o' another."

The Hooligan Chieftain nodded slowly, heeding Gobber's words as advice, and taking it in with heavy thought. The smithy was right. In the past, the Hooligan Tribe had stood against the most terrible of threats that they have encountered, and yet they came up at the top as the victors. Stoick knew that he was the one who led Berk to war in it's darkest hours against its enemies, and now there was an even bigger threat approaching at their doorstep.

This one would be different, he knew that. But the response would not be any different, so long as victory is assured.

And Stoick knew that one way or another, victory would be a reality.

"Gobber." he said.

The smithy scratched his nose. "Aye, Chief?"

"How many warriors do we currently have garrisoned around Berk?"

"Abou' four hundred, countin' tha militia an' volunteered."

Stoick stood to his feet, putting his helmet on. "By the morrow I want you to call them all to the plaza. I must give them a speech that they will all remember for the rest of their lives."

…

* * *

Hiccup wandered the forest as the snow lightly fell from the sky, making his way towards the hidden cove that laid deep within the woods. His cloak was wrapped around him and his woolen hood was up.

For why he was making his way to the cove - it was because of something crazy on his mind. For days he hadn't made contact with Toothless, the Night Fury he had fed and witnessed from afar, even when he came to the rescue to save Hiccup and Astrid from the Nightmare.

So if the Night Fury could do something for him, and he could do something for the Night Fury, then perhaps there was a chance for him to do what he wanted to do.

It was crazy, yes. But still worth it.

Upon nearing the cove, he could see that the lake in the center was beginning to freeze up and harden. The fish in the pond of water were likely already frozen, making it easier for Toothless to catch them and thaw without having to wait for the momentum.

But as Hiccup looked around, he saw no sight of Toothless being near him, and he raised a brow inquisitively, intrigued. "That's weird… where is he?"

Hiccup slowly slid down the cliffy and steep hill, knowing that it was possibly frozen with ice - thus making it slippery. And obviously, it was. At the bottom of the hill, he glanced around in circles to inspect the environment, seeing if he could or couldn't spot the Black Dragon.

"I understand that this Dragon knows how to hide and blend in." he said to himself. "But he couldn't have possibly flown off. Didn't he stay here for-"

Suddenly there was movement in the snowy bushes that laid a few yards off and away from him, and Hiccup quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed it out towards the source. He was ready to see what exactly was behind the bushes, whatever that was watching and possibly closely observing him.

But he didn't need to guess as it soon became apparent.

A large black figure slowly came out, with his wings folded and his body remaining low. Hiccup sighed in relief upon seeing the sight of the Night Fury come into view.

"Hey, Bud." he said, smiling at the Dragon.

Toothless let out a garbled sound, almost as if he were laughing at seeing Hiccup's worry expressed, and the young Viking rolled his eyes at the Black Dragon. "Alright, alright. You got me. I was worried." he admitted.

The Night Fury with interest then pounced around on the ground, almost as if he wanted Hiccup's full attention - which he obviously earned. The Dragon then ran over to another side of the cove, and he made a light roar which told Hiccup to followed.

He obliged and ran over to Toothless, and as he made his way he, noticed something on the ground that caught his attention. Though there was snow lightly falling, some areas in the cove were clear of snow, thus were visible of their terrain. What Hiccup saw was a sketch - a drawing of something in the dirt.

Squinting his eyes however, he got a closer look and saw what it was. He remembered that he made it. It was a drawing in the dirt that he made of Toothless, using a simple stick days back before the heavy downfall of snow came. He then looked back at Toothless, and the Dragon sat there - glancing between Hiccup and the sketch.

The young Viking gave a shrug, using his finger as he ran it through the dirt and started to continued drawing it. He used his memorization of the Dragon to draw the details he knew - the wings, the fins, and even the two from paws. Though the sketch wasn't large, it definitely did begin to show out.

Eventually, Toothless walked closer and observed as the young Viking drew him, and immediately he became fascinated over the sketch, watching as Hiccup with his finger made the various lines and dots in the dirt, and this gave inspiration.

The Dragon happily picked himself up and walked over to the tree he would sometimes hang onto, and as Hiccup drew he suddenly heard a loud and large snap. Quickly he turned around towards Toothless, seeing something he didn't expect.

Toothless actually began drawing himself, making circles in the clear dirt that wasn't covered by snow. As he spun with the large branch in his mouth, he kept making marks in the dirt, mimicking what Hiccup did. And though the young man didn't understand what he was supposed to be drawing, he had a good idea on why he was drawing.

Soon enough the Night Fury was finished with his sketch, and as Hiccup looked down and around he saw that they were just circles and markings that Toothless made, and the Dragon gave a crooning noise as if he was proud with what he made.

"Interesting…" Hiccup said to himself as he stood up to inspect what Toothless made, only to be met with stepping on one of the lines.

The Dragon gave a growl, and Hiccup quickly reacted by backing up, only for him to then stop growling. He raised a brow inquisitively in further interest, and he made a test as he stepped on the line again.

Once again, Toothless growled, and Hiccup went along with this for a few more times until he decided to cope with the Dragon and do as he wanted.

After stepping over the first line, Hiccup was soon to find himself walking over many of the lines of the sketch Toothless made, almost as if it were a maze. He put his arms out to balance himself as he stepped over line after line, going in circles as if it were some sort of dance. What was the Dragon doing, he wondered? Perhaps it was some sort of test that the Dragon wanted to do, to prove something? He didn't know… however, it was then that after he stepped over the last line, he felt warm breathing on his neck.

Hiccup turned around to face the Night Fury who was but a few feet away from him, close enough as if he could touch the Dragon. From this, a chill of tension ran down his spine.

At first, he wasn't sure what to do now that he was in direct eye contact with the creature, but his curiosity got the best of him. And so, with a reach of his arm, he extended his palm outwards to the Night Fury, holding it up in front of him which laid only a foot in front of Toothless' head. He then closed his eyes, and looked down...

…...

Suddenly, something laid against Hiccup's palm. A warm scaly object rested on his hand, and as Hiccup looked up at Toothless he saw the Dragon had placed his relaxing head against his palm. The young Viking immediately became surprised.

Toothless was soon to back away however, as he let out a quick and large exhale of air from his nostrils like a Horse, and ran off swiftly.

Hiccup however looked at his palm, expressing wonder on what in the name of Helheim had happened.

"What…?"

…

* * *

Dusk eventually fell over Berk, and Hiccup was quick to make his way back to the village. Upon arriving however, he saw that there were many warriors and militiamen running towards the direction of the docks. The hustle seemed intense.

"What is going on…?" he asked himself.

"HICCUP!" a voice bellowed throughout the plaza. Hiccup was hasty to turn towards the source, and from behind he saw his father rushing towards him with Astrid and Fishlegs by his side.

"Dad!" he called out, running towards the large Viking. "What's going on?"

"Some ships have been spotted off the coast, Son." he answered. "We were easily able to identify who they were."

Hiccup's face lit up. "Who are they? Völsung?"

"Berserkers." replied Astrid. "We could easily tell by the way they were gathered, as well as their colors. It's at least ten longships or so. Though we don't know how many are aboard them yet."

The young lad's eyes widened. "Have they come to wipe us out?"

There was a pause for a moment. Stoick changed his glance towards the incoming ships, and he shook his head. "...It doesn't seem like it." he said. "Their ships look devastated and in ruins."

Without any further questions or time to waste, the four continued as they made their way down to the docks, with the warriors down below hastily making way for their Chieftain and his son.

Thankfully, Stoick was quick to spot the Berserker Flagship, and with haste he and the others rushed towards one of the opened piers which coincidentally would be the pier that the Flagship would harbor itself at.

As it docked, a boarding platform would land on the pier, and just the Chieftain was about to eagerly welcome the Berserker Chieftain - Dagur - he saw something he didn't expect.

Injured Berserker warriors came down from the longship, each of them wrapped in bandages and their faces and skin charred from what was likely to be black and burnt rubble. They were all in disarray, and exhausted it seemed.

Dagur was the one to come off the ship, with his sister Heather at his side as she held her arm across the limping and wounded Chieftain's shoulders. He slightly grunted in pain.

"Dagur…?" he asked, and the young Chieftain nodded at Stoick with a struggled expression. "What happened? ...Your whole fleet looks as if it was on fire!"

Dagur sighed. "We were attacked! Under siege!" he answered. "A large group of hostile Vikings came at us and attacked us from the sea, and we were easily overwhelmed to ten large longships; carrying warriors that were skilled and beyond any that I have ever seen before."

Stoick's eyes widened. "And…?" he asked slowly.

The young Berserker Chieftain looked down as he shook his head. "...W- We lost our home, Stoick." he stuttered. "We lost Berserker Island! They've taken it and enslaved and killed anyone they could find. What I have with me is what remains of my people..." The Chieftain then fell to his knees and muttered to his dead father; "Dad. Forgive me. I have failed you..."

"Who was it that attacked you?" asked Hiccup, stepping forward.

Heather, Dagur's sister, shrugged as she eyed Hiccup, though not familiar with him. "They never told themselves who they were. All we know is that their colors were black, and their sails had the symbol of a red raven being crossed by strangely-shaped two axes. That's all we know…"

It was then apparent, that from that description, one name immediately came to Stoick's mind...

"Ivar…"


	22. Bringing Ruin

**Right, now I don't have much to say/note for this chapter. However, I'd still like to give a thanks to BrawlerGamer and KaliAnn for the reviews from last chapter!**

 **Now, let's immediately get right back into the story!**

* * *

The night that the Berserker Chieftain, Dagur the Deranged, came to Berk was for Stoick one of the longest nights he had ever had in terms of discussing the dire situation that now surrounded them. He told Dagur about the Great Army, about Ivar the Boneless, and he even shared information to him about Hiccup being his son.

The long conversation between Stoick and Dagur however would go into the early hours of morning, and even when that came to a conclusion the two Chieftains refused to get any rest as the thought of Ivar and his Heathens still lingered in their minds.

That thought was especially lingering in Magnus' sleepy mind as he rested on his bed, dreaming of what was now coming, as well as what was soon to come.

 _He saw it in his dream… wave upon wave of Viking longships, numbering in the hundreds, with over ten thousand Vikings, Barbarians, and Slavic Rus' sailing the large fleet he gazed his eyes upon. An unbelievable sight._

 _And then, the scene switched again for him._

 _This time, he was flying over the Archipelago, gazing upon island after island. However, what he saw wasn't joyous or something that he had expected. He saw island after island fall to the unstoppable hordes of the Great Heathen Army, with the screams of innocents and the dying filling his ears like thunder._

 _Islands were burning, towns and villages were falling to ruin, people were being enslaved and slaughtered, and one by one the Tribes of the Archipelago were being dismantled. Not even the ferocious Dragons were able to stand against the bloody onslaught._

 _In the end however, only one island remained. All eyes from Ivar's coalition were met onto a single beacon that called them to make ruin. The island which his friends, his brother-in-arms, and his best friend stood upon. The island which was his home._

 _"Berk." he gasped. "No… No!"_

 _It was then that in his moment of terror, he saw every longship, every boat, and every iron cog turn towards the small island that laid in the distant that was soon to be swarmed by the Great Tide of raiders and barbarians._

 _"NO!" he screamed as he stepped forward, only to be met with a fall as he spiraled downwards toward the ocean. He then placed his arms up in front of him, and as he braced for impact…_

Magnus suddenly woke up. He found himself hitting the wooden floor of his hut, and it was apparent that his scream for help from his dream came out from his voice.

He looked around, breathing intensely and shuddering. He was relieved that he wasn't dead as he felt himself to make sure.

"Still alive…" he sighed in relief.

From downstairs however, Magnus heard footsteps coming upstairs - and the door swung opened revealing Eira, breathing heavily from running up the stairs. As she spotted Magnus laying on the ground she immediately ran to his side.

"Magnus!" she called out lightly, rushing towards him as she knelt down next to him and held his hand with both her hands for comfort. "What happened, old friend?"

"I- ...I saw it." he gulped, swallowing the tension.

"Saw what?"

"W-What the mad Viking King has to throw at us." he stuttered. "Our eyes have deceived us, Eira. The army that marches on us is but a whisper of Ivar's _true_ strength! For beyond this army, there lies another, and another. All numbering in their thousands."

Eira slowly nodded her head, paying close attention to Magnus' words. "So that means that if we defeat the invading armada we're up against here…"

"It'll mean nothing!" bursted Magnus.

By that point, Eira was unsure of what to say. How on Midgard did Magnus know all of this? It couldn't have been a mere vision or unnatural dream he had. Hopefully it was some sort of nightmare. "Are you sure about this?"

The young man responded with a shrug. "We'll have to see after we meet them full on, or find proof. But until then, we must find a proper way to fight them…"

"...And we, will find that way."

...

* * *

"...You can't be serious. More islands have already been destroyed?" asked Hiccup.

Snotlout nodded at the young Viking as the two of them and the rest of the group sat around by the Blacksmith, discussing what had thus far transpired around the Archipelago.

The young Heir then proceeded to give out the letters he received from scouts to the group. One to Astrid, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Hiccup, whilst he himself held one in his hand.

"I received word from many of our scouts; each of them giving the same claim that the islands they've gone by have already fallen to a force of Vikings beyond anything they'd ever seen. Some say they saw a few hundred or more, others claim that it was over a thousand they gazed upon."

Hiccup rubbed against his chin with his hand, pondering. "Hmm, what are the Heathens up to?" he asked. "What would be the point to capture islands that aren't under Tribal control if they hold no value? ...Unless it's for territory?"

"Pfft, who knows. Maybe they just wanna take the time to kill Dragons."

"Very helping, Tuffnut." sarcastically responded Astrid. "It's not like we've suffered enough from the hands of Mildew. Oh what a good time this is to be joking around whilst there's a THREAT on our doorstep! Get ahead of yourself!"

Tuffnut looked back at Astrid with his brow raised inquisitively. "What? Can't I joke around? Aren't they funny to you?"

Hiccup shook his head. "If your jokes were actually then you'd probably see me laughing until I start to water up with tears of-"

Immediately Tuffnut was triggered by that word, and from his mouth he let out a loud; "WAAAAAAH!" as he began to cry. Hiccup looked at him with confusion before turning to the group. "What the Hel happened?" he asked Snotlout.

"Don't worry about it. He always gets triggered to cry when someone mentions that word - so just try to deal with it, alright?"

As Hiccup and Snotlout got into a one on one discussion, Fishlegs glanced from the note he had in his hand to that which Astrid was holding, and his eyes widened as he snatched it. "Wait, what are you doing?" Astrid gasped as the letter was grabbed from her hands.

Fishlegs raised up a finger. "Hang on. I need to read this… something doesn't seem right to me."

Reading the two notes closely, there was something that caught his eyes earlier which got him curious - and soon it struck him when he read the times of which the notes were sent, and in response he gasped in shock.

"Hiccup." he began. "Something's off and not right."

The young Viking turned his head, arching a brow as he approached Fishlegs. "What is it?"

"Remember how you predicted that Ivar had sent nearly a thousand for this invasion fleet?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Well uhh… these two letters, they were sent back to us on the same day. And it seems the scouts who wrote these letters seem to have come from different islands. One claims to have seen five hundred whilst the other says a thousand."

Hiccup's eyes slightly widened at Fishlegs, but he shook his head - thinking perhaps that the letters were inaccurate. "Don't be ridiculous, Fishlegs. There is no way that Ivar could've managed to send such a large number at us if he can't-"

"Well he did. And it seems we _underestimated_ them." a distant voice responded, sounding familiar to Hiccup and the gang as they all turned to face Magnus who was walking with Eira by his side. "And it is apparent to me now that the dream I had was no simple dream. These letters here likely confirm that I am correct of what I saw."

Hiccup expressed confusion to the older Viking. "Correct about what? What's going on, Magnus?"

"...We've deceived ourselves, Hiccup." he answered. "All of us. Our eyes and our ears have deceived us. What we are facing is nothing more than a small part of Ivar's ultimate strength. The forces which he has sent here are nothing more than a small, and yet big, invading force, that we know - but in Scandinavia, _that_ is where our true threat lingers. His _true_ numbers are bigger than what we have predicted."

"How big are we talking about this invasion?" asked Snotlout.

"Take the thousand which you guys had assumed Ivar would send at us. Times that by three." Magnus replied.

"Oh Thor…" Fishlegs said, with a small whimper in his voice. "This is far worse than I anticipated."

"If that has become the case, we have to do something." immediately replied Astrid as it was obvious that she was desperate. "If you're right about the fact that what you saw was a possible… vision, and that this invasion fleet is multiplied three times the amount, then we will have little to no chance if we don't act quicker and prepare quicker. We need to-"

"We need to trust in our ability, and trust in ourselves." Magnus answered. "The only way we can save the Archipelago, and all lives that dwell here, is by saving ourselves. There is no one else out there that can help us, for it is now up to us. Either we stand united, or we fall divided."

As the group sat, heeding Magnus' seemingly newfound words that were coming out from his mouth, Tuffnut rose a hand up and all eyes fell upon him. "What is it, Tuffnut?" asked Hiccup.

"Yeah, uhh… I just wanted to say; since when the Hel did _he_ become all tall and wise?" he asked, before he proceeded to make a terrible impression of Magnus, resulting in everyone in the group frowning in disappointment at the Thorston, with squints coming from others.

"Do you ever shut up?" asked Snotlout, causing Tuff to roll his eyes as he turned his back.

Going back onto the topic, Hiccup proceeded to ask a question, and right away Magnus noticed. "What should I tell my father? He needs to know about this-"

The older Viking placed his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "Tell him nothing about this." answered Magnus. "If he finds out then he will become too overprotective for you. The best we can do right now is wait and _be_ prepared. News cannot go back to Stoick on the fact that the islands are falling one by one. Who knows if other Tribes are seeking refuge and are already in ruin."

Hiccup spoke up again. "But what else can we do? There has to be something we can do to get ourselves at an advantage."

Magnus stopped for a moment, thinking through Hiccup's question. So far the only ally that Berk directly had at their side was the Berserker Tribe and their remaining hundred warriors. They numbered five hundred against three thousand, outnumbered six to one, yet they were still at a possible disadvantage in their skill and strength. So what exactly could there be for Berk if it is to survive? Perhaps a weapon that no Viking could've ever dreamt wielding? Perhaps something to fight fire with fire? Perhaps…

Suddenly, a thought bursted into Magnus' mind, and a smile soon grew on the Viking's face.

"Perhaps you may need the aid of old rivals to help you, if you know what I mean?"

"...Elaborate?" replied Fishlegs.

Magnus shook his head with a splurt of laughter. "Think about it, lad." he said. "What else is there that you can _tame_ to use against the Great Heathen Army? Something you can make from _old rivals_ and into a possible _fiery ally_?"

...

* * *

General Olaf smirked from the bay as he stared at the burning village of the Thunderhead Tribe. Already more than a day had past since he first entered the Archipelago, and with the winds at his side for his fleet, he was able to make tne sacking islands and Tribes like it was no tomorrow.

He glanced back at the Iron Wolf commander. "Your Devastators have proven very effective." he said. "They have taken out flocks of Dragons and have set ruin to many islands. I can see now why King Ivar chose you and your Clan to come along."

"Well, we do what is necessary for the sake of our survival, especially under his leadership." the commander chuckled. "I assure you that even with this ingenuity, we'll be able to soon help your Chieftain with his… crippled problem."

"Oh? And how?"

The Iron Wolf commander crossed his arms as he began to speak, "Well, simple. All we have to do is-"

However, he would on short notice be interrupted as he and Olaf spotted the Bloody Berserker commander gathering and dragging prisoners, all consisting of warriors, men, women, and even children. One of the Thunderhead captains were among the group, plus there were fifty Völsung warriors escorting the prisoners.

"What is this?" asked Olaf. "A group of prisoners?"

"Aye." the Bloody Berserker commander replied, hyped for the blood and glory he was earning on the battlefield. "We've been hearing the mentions of an island in the center of this _Archipelago_ from those we've been killing all across the islands. Saying that this Tribe is their ally and that they'll stop us. This captain here has mentioned it as well."

"Hmph." Olaf muffled as he pointed towards the captain. "Let's see what this one has to say then…"

Immediately the captain was nudged forward and pushed down onto his knees. His appearance looked bloody and bruised with injuries covering his body. His left eye was cut out, while half of his face remained covered in cuts and blood. The captain then looked up at Olaf and spat in his face.

The Viking General felt blood hit his face as he slowly wiped it off. Then he knelt down to the man's and gave a hard backhand across the face to him, giving off a grunt of anger after doing so.

"You and many other Tribes across the islands have mentioned an 'allied' Tribe that lies in the center of this wasteland of an Archipelago. Thus, I want you to tell me, what lies in the middle of all the islands?"

The captain splurted. "Do you ask about Berk?" he asked. "If you're thinking about going there, I would think twice before attacking. You don't know the amount of strength, skill, and heroism the Vikings of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe have. If you go there, you will underestimate them, and Berk will become your doom."

Olaf chuckled. "We'll see about that when I have the Chieftain of Berk and his head on a pike. Your island and so many others have already easily fallen before the might of my army. This island of _Berk_ won't be any different."

"So be it…" the injured Viking replied. "But regardless for me, my time ends here. Valhalla now awaits me, and I will gladly welcome Odin's invitation to the Halls when he opens its doors for me. And there I shall drink ale from curved horns, and feast until the end of days!"

For a moment, the General looked at the captain with an expression of interest on his face, along with his eyes squinting and his brows raised. But it was then that an evil grin spreaded wide across his face, with the response; "I think not." as he unsheathed his warblade and decapitated the captain right there and then.

Afterwards he then turned to face the Bloody Berserker commander who seemed satisfied from Olaf's move. "Your orders, General?" the commander asked.

"Prepare to move out once this island has been sacked of all it's values." he ordered the Barbarian. "I want ALL of the Clans and Tribes that are among us to be rallied tomorrow for a massive siege."

"So then our next target is…?"

"Berk…"

Both the Iron Wolf and Bloody Berserker commander saluted General Olaf as he turned his back from the burning village of the Thunderheads, making his way back towards the iron flagship which was ready to be loaded with valuables and sacked goods.

"General, what of the prisoners?" asked the Bloody Berserker commander.

Olaf gave a smirk, letting out a huff of air whilst not turning around to face the commander as he continued to still walk towards the flagship. However, he did give an answer to the commander.

"Kill them all…"


	23. The Chieftain's Speech

**Apologies for the wait, guys. Life has been weighing a bit more heavy on my shoulders. But now that I'm on break from School, hopefully I can devote more time.**

 **Now, before beginning, a quick thanks to those who reviewed on the previous chapters, and a HUGE thanks to everyone for getting this story up to another milestone. We stand now at 20,000+ views, so thank you guys so much! :)**

 **Let us go on with story though, shall we?**

* * *

"There's nothing much to say about these Vikings, Stoick." began Dagur. "Although, their intentions are obvious. Kill, enslave, sack, and conquer. And it seems that this invasion fleet is more than I could've anticipated. I didn't even see it coming."

"None of us did." Stoick replied, drinking from his mug. "As I said, the first report we got on these Vikings was when our scouts were attacked by one ship loaded with twenty five of them. Half of the crew escaped with their lives while the others had axes to their heads."

Dagur sighed, shaking his head. "They should be lucky that they didn't face what we faced. There's more than just simple warriors in their ranks." he responded, causing Stoick to grow curious.

"What do you mean?"

It was then that Dagur placed his mug down, tapping his fingers on the table. "Where do I even begin." he said. "For one, the Vikings with their axes, shields, and so forth, aren't the only ones you can expect. This army, it commands forces I have never seen before. There are these Barbarians that look almost like Vikings, but are complete savage and wear more furs. They attack with ferocity, and their agility is fast, very fast. I could barely hold my ground against three of them... And then, there's the Rus'. These guys are tough I tell you, wielding great axes and great weapons with similar Viking armor…"

"And…?" asked Stoick.

"But it is very unfamiliar in terms of how it was made." the Berserker Chieftain added on with. "They don't just wear leather and furs for their armor, but as well as black iron plate. Their style is different from any Viking I've ever seen, almost as if they have a Chieftain of ingenuity."

"Aside the armor, what makes you assume that?"

"Their technology, their weapons, Stoick." Dagur continued. "It's beyond anything I've ever seen… especially those Devastators."

Stoick choked on his ale from hearing that word, though he wasn't sure what a Devastator was. He glanced at Dagur with a brow raised inquisitively, and Dagur shrugged.

"I don't know what to say aside that fact that they're fiery killing machines." he said to Stoick. "Explosive pieces of black metal were filled in these siege weapons, and whenever it fires it would send the large metal flying in the air, bursting in flames, and they would explode upon impact as if it were a meteor striking Midgard. None of our catapults could even take one of them out."

Both of them sat in silence, pondering and thinking of what might happen and what needed to be done. It was hard not to believe what Dagur saw back on Berserker Isle when it was being taken over, and there has been more than what Stoick had anticipated, as it seemed that Ivar's influence was far more dangerous than he thought.

"Well," started Stoick. "The best we can do right now is wait until our opponent comes. There is a chance that we may or may not be able to defeat them… but I tell you: we will meet them in battle one way or another."

"And do you think we'll hold?" asked Dagur.

"...It's all in the hands of Odin." the Chieftain replied as he took a big gulp of ale from his mug, still eyeing Dagur. "-For I assure you, that the gods will be with us in this battle. I know it. My speech however will perhaps turn the tide in our favor."

…

* * *

Magnus blocked with his practice sword as a strike from Astrid came at him from above. In response he gave her a mere quick and simple strike as a distraction right before he rolled around behind her and struck her with his wooden blade at her ankles.

Hiccup and the others stood by and watched in interest and slight suspense as the two great warriors fought each other with great skill and movement, each making their own move against each other that was unique to their style, and this caught his full attention.

"The way they move…" he said to himself. "That's something you don't see everyday when it comes down to two great warriors."

Magnus smirked as he stood up from being on his knees, looking back at Astrid who was in the same state as he was. Both of them breathed intensely, catching their breaths from making their attacks.

"Are you finished, girl?" he asked, taunting her. "Your attacks are as slow as a lazy boar, and you fight like an amateur who has no experience."

"Excuse me?" she responded, gripping her axe tightly. "You're going to regret ever saying that to me…"

The grin on Magnus' face got even wider as Astrid prepared to attack again, and already the young man had an idea up his sleeve. To make thing easier he decided to use a different type of style as he switched hands and placed his sword in his left hand, with his right hand and arm placed behind his back. He then pointed the weapon outwards and taunted Astrid with stabs in the air.

"Charge me again." he said. "See how far you get."

The shield maiden let out a battle cry, and Astrid wasted no time with rushing at Magnus and charging him. Her axe was raised up high and her speed was fast and swift. However, upon meeting Magnus in combat, she did not expect what he would do next.

At the last second when Astrid was about to strike from Magnus' right side, the lad did the most simplest move that one should know how to do, and this to Astrid was unexpected since she suspected something more advanced. He stepped a couple of paces to the left as the shield maiden struck whilst using his blade in his left hand to misdirect the blow, and then bash the wooden blade of his practice sword against her back when she was facing to the right from him.

Astrid felt the rough blow and she fell over to the ground, with Magnus shortly rushing up to her and raising his blade up to her throat when she sat up.

At that moment, Astrid knew she was beaten.

"Good spar." Magnus said, offering a hand to help her up. At first she considered grabbing his hand and throwing him to the ground to stand on 'equal' terms… but instead she took his hand and gave a grin as the two fist-bumped each other.

"Good duel." she said.

Tuffnut stepped forward. "Three points to the master-at-arms Magnus! Astrid standing at-"

"Ah- dadada." interrupted Hiccup. "This isn't a competition. It's just training. Besides, we all know that one way or another the fleet will be here soon... We have to train and fight as best as we can so that we can actually manage to stand against the enemy."

"Aye." agreed Magnus. "Though by far, all of you are rusty when it comes to fighting. The only one here who was able to actually best me and almost get equal with me here was Hiccup."

"Well for one, you're older than us, and as a whole, stronger than us." commented Fishlegs, though Magnus just gave a shake of his head at the young Ingerman.

"At this age, it shouldn't matter about strength alone. It's true that you need to be strong when standing against a foe, however it can only get you so far. Skill and movement are key in this upcoming battle, and you need to be agile. Now, though you were unable to beat me in a spar - Astrid here surprisingly fought out longer than all of you."

"That's a bunch of yak dung!" called out Ruffnut.

Hiccup stepped forward. "No it isn't, actually. By far you guys only lasted a few minutes against Magnus, whilst Astrid here, though unable to best him, did fight him for TEN minutes straight if I stand correct."

"And that you do." nodded Fishlegs. "I kept track of time. You're right."

Astrid looked back from Hiccup and up onto the older Viking. "So if I was able to last ten minutes against you, what was my problem? How did I lose?"

For a moment, Magnus thought about it, memorizing the way that Astrid fought. She was acrobatic and reflexive, just like he and Eira was. Her blows were somewhat heavy, but enough to make a difference. However, the two handed axe did look heavy as a whole to him since the blade of the weapon was larger than the great axes which the Scandinavian Vikings used.

Then, it occurred to him.

"You're not using enough precision." he said, causing Astrid to lift a brow.

"How am I not precisive? My attacks in the past have been able to cleave my enemies in two, especially since the day I began fighting Dragons. Many of my enemies have fallen before me, and just because you're quicker and faster makes you think that-"

"That you'll hardly land a blow on Ivar's men? Yes." he replied with bold words. "They're quick, fast, agile, and definitely stronger when it comes to using their full weight on you. Assuming that precision alone with _your_ skill can take them on, you are mistaken, Astrid."

The lass shook her head, looking down at her axe as she inspected the blade. "...So then how do I improve?" she asked him.

Magnus sighed, walking towards her as he placed one of his hands on her shoulders. "Look, lass. It's just training. I'm only doing what's best for you all so that you get a sense and an idea of how these Vikings are going to fight. All you need to do is just practice more. Perhaps those years of peace have kept you all rusty in your ability, in which I understand. But when in doubt, keep moving forward."

"Uhh… one question?" asked Tuffnut, and all eyes fell on him.

"Yes, Tuffnut?" replied Hiccup as silence filled the arena.

"If you two know these guys are tough and skillful and whatnot, then how were you, Magnus, and what's-her-face able to escape?"

The older Viking walked closer towards Tuffnut, stopping by Magnus. "First of all, my name is Eira." she said, crossing her arms. "Secondly, the only reason that we were even able to get kills off those heathens was because we knew their every moves and actions. Magnus and I were taught how to fight like them when we were younger, and in return Magnus taught Hiccup time and time again on the ways of how he fought, though not very often."

"And yet Hiccup got his butt kicked by Mildew's brainwashed loyalists-"

"That's in the past, Tuffnut." interrupted Hiccup. "I rely not on my strength alone, but as well as my skill and agility. If I had a sword in my hands then you'd find yourself a foot shorter from your head. And as for Mildew, he had the element of surprise with him. If I had known his men were there then I would've unsheathed my blade and given them quick deaths."

Tuffnut gave a splurt from his mouth, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "Suuuuuuuuuuure." he said towards the scrawny auburn-haired Viking.

Hiccup gave a grunt, tempting to reach his hand towards the blue-hilted blade that laid sheathed around his waist, but before he could do so he was lightly patted twice on the shoulder by Snotlout who stood behind him, shaking his head which motioned him not to do so, and from this the young Viking took a step back.

Before anyone could talk though, a rallying horn coming from the village was suddenly blown, and all eyes turned into the direction it was coming from. 'What is going on?' Hiccup thought to himself, but the answer would become clear to him when Gobber came into the arena, gesturing everyone to clear out.

"Ev'ryone out!" he called out. "Tha Chief's speech is about ta start! All tha warriors ar' required to rally in tha plaza!"

…

* * *

In the center of the village, hundreds were gathered around their Chieftain with Dagur right next to him, all of them viewing Stoick with wonder and concern on what he was about to say. They had been told the previous day that a speech would unfold, and now here it was.

As for Hiccup and the gang, all of them had reached the plaza before the majority of the warriors had, though the hundreds had filled up the plaza until there was barely any room. However, their summoning was obvious, so now or never they had to hear the Chief's speech.

Stoick took in a full breath of air before giving off a deep exhale, staring up at the crowds that stood before him.

"My friends." he began. "Warriors of the Hooligan Tribe. Defenders of Berk! ...I have called you all here to bring the word, that in a short amount of time - the Great Heathen Army and it's invasion force will soon be at our doorstep. It is now inevitable."

Gasps had spread throughout the ranks of Vikings as small conversations began between the majority of them, though others stood silent. They knew well as well that it was inevitable.

"What!?" one soldier called out. "We're exposed to the enemy?"

"When did this happen?" another cried.

"We have to do something! We can't just sit and wait while they move against us! We must fight them!" one more shouted, and Stoick nodded at the lad as he spoke up again.

"That is why, I have a plan! And, there is something all of you must know!" he continued, raising his hands up into the air for total silence.

"The Vikings we're going up against are beyond our generation! Their technology is beyond what we craft. Their warriors are strong in number, and skilled in their crafts of fighting, and we know that there are more than just Vikings! Germanic Barbarians, Slavic Rus' Varangians, all of them called under one banner to wipe us all out. And thus, I come to tell you all this at a time where the stakes cannot be higher!"

Once again, Stoick took a deep fresh breath of air in, and again he exhaled it out through his mouth, glancing at all those who faced him.

"I tell you all to stand with me! For when the enemy comes sailing at our doorstep, we will unleash Helheim upon them! Our arrows will rain down from the sky like the hail from a blizzard! Our swords and axes will pierce them like knives cutting through butter! And our strength and might will be unbreakable! No matter how outnumbered we are, I can guarantee you all that we WILL fight as one! We will win this… TOGETHER!"

His axe raised high above the ranks of warriors, and massive amounts of cheers followed from everyone that stood around him. Hiccup and the group however stood around as they glanced at each and every Viking who was eager for the fight. It was clear to him that none of them were afraid to die.

After all, Valhalla would await them.

"Stoick." a voice said, catching the Chief's attention as he turned away from the crowd, and his eyes fell onto Dagur who had his brows lifted. "You said you had a plan."

"Aye, that I did."

"And what plan would that be?" the Berserker Chieftain asked him.

"Well…" started Stoick. "Tell me, Dagur. Have you ever considered making new allies out of old enemies?"


	24. It Begins

**Right, before beginning, I must tell you that this chapter will be the one that sparks for the fire for the next major event that will happen when I release the next chapter.**

 **And this event won't be in one part. Likely two or three.**

 **Secondly, thanks again to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I'm glad you all love this story so far!**

 **Now, let's see what unfolds in this chapter. Shall we? (Once again, apologies for any grammar mistakes.)**

* * *

"Are you sure this will work, Vlar?" Ivar asked as he laid there on his back, feeling pressure applied to his legs.

In the Great Hall of Kattegat where the Chieftains were rallied, they all eyed their King as the Iron Wolf Chieftain - Vlar - was applying something to the young Viking's legs. It was made out of a metal that was meant to be somewhat heavy as well as apply enough for for pressure. Though for Ivar, the pressure just felt like his hand being gripped in a firm handshake.

"It's almost done, High Chieftain." the Iron Wolf Chief replied. "I just need to apply something here and…"

The sudden sound of a click interrupted everyone as all eyes fell upon the supports that were placed around Ivar's legs. Some questioning what it was to accomplish. More armor?

"What's the Chieftain of the Iron Wolf up to now?" asked Karvein of the Bloody Berserker Tribe, facing Frode as the Warrior-Elder nodded his head, grinning.

"The gods say these two plates are Ivar's new weapons." he said, replying coldly. "Yes… two weapons that will aid him in battles yet to come in the future."

Karvein shook his head. "Bah. How will two metal plates around a cripple's legs help? He can't bloody feel a darn thing those numb pair of limbs-!"

"Mind your tongue, Karvein." replied Frode, interrupting him.

"Perhaps that's not the case!" a Barbarian Chieftain called out to the Bloody Berserker. "Perhaps it is the cure to giving back strength to the King's legs. Something that will give us an advantage, and a blessing from the gods for him."

"Aye, he's got a point." a Rus' Chieftain said, nodding at the Germanian. "The gods may have other plans for the King. They view him as special after all."

"Alright, alright! I get it!" shouted Karvein, sighing as he glanced back from the Chieftains and at the supports that were still being placed around Ivar's legs. And it was then that they all heard another click snap, and from that Vlar back up, viewing the image and giving himself a nod of pride as he crossed his arms.

"It's finished, Ivar. How do you feel?" asked Vlar.

"...I do not feel any different, Vlar. Is this supposed to make me look stupid or are you just making some foolish prank on me? All there is on me is but a bit of pressure that I feel against my legs-"

The Iron Wolf Chieftain smiled. "And?" he asked, reaching his hands out as he revealed a staff in front of the young Viking, though it was somewhat shorter.

Ivar shook his head as he shrugged it off, turning himself to face the Rus' before grabbing the staff from his hands. Then, with much of his strength from his left hand he helped himself up, and as he felt the staff hit the floor whilst he held it in his right hand he was a little bit shocked at first.

His rear hips were still touching the table he laid down against, but his feet touched the floor with the staff.

"Hm." he said, moving the base of the wooden stick forward, still gripping it tightly. However, as he did so he oddly felt the urge to move one of his legs forward, following the staff like an old man with a crippled back would… and it was then that unexpectedly, Ivar felt something in his legs move.

The young Viking looked down at his left leg, even though it looked deformed and out of place as his foot faced left instead of forward. But ever so slightly he could feel it… move. His leg was actually working, sort of. To further test this, he moved himself forwards toward the other Chieftains who stood gathered with those sitting on the other side of the room of which Ivar faced.

And so, for the first time in his life - Ivar the Boneless was finally able stand up straight, though requiring support to help him walk as he would just fall without the staff in his hands.

"It will develop over time, young King." assured Vlar, nodding his head with a grin. "Those metal supports will be your bones, and the staff your guide. Overtime they will continue to slightly squeeze against your legs until you finally begin to feel muscle inside them - plus the bones will come out of that deformed form, hopefully. But we'll see what the gods will think. Fate will decide."

A glare emanated from Ivar's face as he glanced at the Chieftains, though his expression looked evil. And then, a slow smile began to expand and stretch out until it achieved a fully wide grin from cheek to cheek, though his brows were still lowered… A soft splurt then came out from his mouth.

He then chuckled, followed by a snort, and eventually he began to giggle wickedly. His teeth were shown out as if they were fangs, and laughter soon begun echoing from Ivar's voice. He looked up to the ceiling, picturing the sky outside and beyond that, and soon enough he was full-on cackling, laughing evilly towards the heavens.

His laughter, so loud and wicked, echoed beyond the Great Hall's walls…

…

* * *

 _ **3 days later...**_

Hiccup sat at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, unable to sleep, and pondering how long it would take before Berk would become the next target for the Heathens - at least that's what he called them as he and Snotlout had recently received even more letters from scouts saying how many more islands have fallen…

Some of those letters were from Tribes in ruin.

With all of this news coming at Hiccup like lightning, he soon began to doubt. What consequence would Berk suffer if the Great Army arrived at the island? What would happen to his friends? Would they be able to handle it? ...What would happen to him?

"How great." he said to himself, sarcastically. "How great it is to see Berk's allies brought to ruin in a matter of days. My Dad doesn't know the true amount of men that Ivar is sending at us, and we're outnumbered six to one whilst mostly outskilled. What can we do if-"

"What can we do if what?" asked a familiar feminine voice from behind. Hiccup turned around, revealing Astrid who was walking towards him with her axe sheathed to her back, and her arms crossed.

"Oh- hey Astrid." he said as he waved his hand, receiving one back from the blonde-haired girl as well. "I was just… talking to myself, and pondering."

"Mhmm." she replied, sitting next to the scrawny Viking who continued gazing down at the ocean. "Pondering and talking. Surely something that isn't important. Unless, there's something on your mind?"

"Well- there is, but- it's just that…" Hiccup lost his words, unsure of how to express them as he let out a sigh. Thus, he remained silent and kept his mouth shut, not knowing what more to say as he feared on what Astrid would think. Would she react the same way he did? Would she tell him not to bring it up?

Only way to find out.

"Astrid." he said.

She turned to face him. "Yes?"

"The thing is…" he began softly. "I am extremely worried for the position in which Berk lies in. We stand surrounded by a foe that's been chasing and hunting us and our allies all around the Archipelago for their own amusement of killing, pillaging, and enslavement. Many have fallen, though some remain, and I don't know WHEN Berk will be attacked by those heathens - those, monsters… The reports Snotlout and I received make me doubt if Berk can stand against them like my Dad-"

"Hiccup." interrupted Astrid, catching the young Viking's attention as he snapped out of his quick speaking. She then placed her arms on her shoulders, and Hiccup took a breath.

"There's no need to worry." she said with a smile. "One way or another we will try and attain victory over our foe. With your guidance, as well as Magnus' and Eira's, we can fight right beside you without too much trouble. You told me that you, Eira and Magnus cut your way to the docks stealthily and out in the open when the two of them covered your escape. What is there to worry about if _you_ can handle it?"

"My worry isn't that I can handle it." he replied, shaking his head. "It's the fact that you guys might not be able to handle it. What if you end up like half those men who died escaping the scouting ship? I can't imagine-"

"But I won't." she said, once again interrupting him. Her hands then lowered from his shoulders to his right hand as she held it firmly. "As long as I have you, and you have me to fight by, I assure you that I'll be fine. Just… keep moving forward. For me, for Magnus, and for everyone else. Alright?"

Hiccup sighed, and his face cooled down. "Alright." he said, and a small smile grew on his face. "You're right. I shouldn't let a few letters make me doubt."

"Good." she nodded back at him. "While you're at it though, Magnus wants to speak to you about something."

"Oh?" he asked as a brow lifted.

"He said that he wanted to discuss with you on something about… the Dragons?"

Her words soon began to make him more curious. "Dragons?" he said. "Why? They're just creatures that fly around and do nothing aside tending to their own survival and species? What would I have to do with it?"

Astrid gave a shrug. "I don't know. But he seems desperate. I think he's trying to find a solution with fighting back Ivar - though I don't see how dangerous fiery creatures could help."

"...Maybe he refers to something else? You know Magnus can be a crafty and mysterious one a times. I mean, it's not like a Human could ride atop a Dragon and have it help aid in battles."

"Well…" she said in a long tone, turning her back as her arms crossed, unsure of what to say. "I guess you will have to find out, Hiccup."

...

* * *

Hiccup stood before the door of Magnus' hut, wondering on what the older Viking was thinking when he mentioned Dragons. Did he have some crazy idea in mind?

Regardless, Hiccup reached his arm forward and knocked loudly three times - with each knock banging against the wooden door. Soon enough, the door opened up and Magnus stood in front of Hiccup with a smirk on his face as he nodded, allowing the young Viking in.

"Alright, Magnus." he said. "What's this all about. Why have you called me here?"

The older Viking sat himself down in a chair, with Hiccup leaning against the wall having his arms crossed, eyeing Magnus - though not with an irritated or aggressive expression. A period of silence followed however - but an answer soon came out as the older Viking cleared his throat and eyed Hiccup.

"Hiccup." he began. "While I was away organizing and sharpening some of my weapons, an idea had come to my attention and I started to think deeply about it. It's an idea that is sort of out of the mind, but something that's worth a try, and I'd like to share it with you."

A face of concern and thought showed off from Hiccup, and took a step forward from leaning. "I'm all ears, Magnus. Tell me."

"Well…" he replied with a long inhale of air. "I was thinking about the Dragons. I was thinking about how powerful they are and could be, and what kind of creatures they could be in general in their own ways. I know Dragons are more than just creatures - they're viewed as beasts, but something tells me that this isn't entirely the case."

"Oh?" asked Hiccup. "What do you mean?"

"Well firstly, I remembered the story that you and Astrid shared. You said that she told you about how the Dragons eventually flew away. Explaining on how it was their biggest attack ever - and then all of a sudden in the middle of it, they just gave up and dropped all of the cattle…"

"And your point is?"

Magnus cleared his throat once again. "My point is that; perhaps it wasn't their choice to attack Berk. If it was, then they would have came back and continued their attacks years ago. Plus, Astrid said a Gronckle licked a villager before it flew off. Something just felt off to me. So, I can only assume that the Dragons weren't in their own minds when they made their attacks."

Intrigument had now gotten the best of Hiccup. He walked forward besides a chair and sat down in it. "And how does this relate? What are you trying to tell me?" he asked curiously.

"I think… these creatures can be friendly with us."

The scrawny Viking's eyes widened. "What?" he let out. "That's insane, Magnus! These creatures are nothing more than fiery killers." he said, lying. "Do you not remember that I told you that a Monstrous Nightmare tried to attack Astrid and I?"

"And yet you claimed that a Night Fury saved you." he pointed out, and Hiccup was immediately stopped in a halt… he was right. Toothless, the Dragon he named, was the one that saved Hiccup and Astrid when they were attacked, though it was hard to see on if there was even a reason of why the fiery Dragon struck. Plus, he and Astrid fed the Night Fury, and he was even able to get a closer look at the black Dragon.

Perhaps Magnus was indeed right…

"So if you think Dragons can be friendly." he said. "What do you want me to do? Go out and befriend a Dragon?"

Magnus chuckled with a nod. "You've read my mind like reading a book, Hiccup. But, I don't want you to just take any Dragon." He leaned in closer. "I want you to find that Night Fury you spoke of, and get it on your side. If the Dragon is still out there, then perhaps it can help aid us against Ivar as a major ally in this conflict. With the powerful creature, Ivar will fall."

Hiccup slowly nodded at Magnus' statement - his words at the end giving him slight confidence as he straightened out his back and glanced at him eye-to-eye.

"Well, Magnus. About that, I-"

Before he could continue to speak however, Hiccup felt his chair slightly shake. Magnus raised a brow.

"You don't need to move closer you know." said Magnus, but Hiccup shook his head as he felt slight tension build up.

"That wasn't me. It-"

Suddenly, the hut shook as objects on the wall fell to the ground, and Hiccup watched a plate shatter as it fell from the long table. Both their eyes immediately widened however as they not only felt the area around them shake more, but the sound of a loud and large boom follow at the same time.

"What's happening!?" asked Hiccup, his tone rising.

An answer was given as a horn outside blew, and both of the Vikings wasted no time as they stood from their chairs, grabbed their weapons, and ran out the door into the snowy and cloudy day.

Outside, they saw villagers running around in total panic, and warriors rallying and running in groups as they rushed towards their positions. One of them, being Gobber who exited the Smithy, called out loudly; "BRACE YERSELVES, LADS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

Hiccup felt total dread take him over as he rushed out of the area, with Magnus following behind.

"Wait, Hiccup!" he called out.

Upon making his way to the cliffs, Hiccup saw something that nearly shook him to his core as what he feared would come had indeed came. However, he was prepared for it as he unsheathed his blade from his belt.

Before Hiccup, over a hundred ships laid armed and ready as dozens of men were lined up into position aboard them, ready to make their charge and take Berk. All three thousand of them, were bloodthirsty and ready.

From behind, Magnus along with Eira, Stoick, Astrid, and the others showed up as they all eyed the massive force that stood at Berk's doorstep, armed and prepared in taking the island.

"Odin help us…" gasped Stoick as he watched as flaming catapult fire rained over the village, impacting into huts and structures, as well as hitting past it as it struck parts of the forest and mountain.

"I should have seen this coming." the Chieftain grunted, turning his back and marching forward. "READY ALL TROOPS! THE TIME HAS COME TO FIGHT, AND DEFEND ALL THAT WE HOLD DEAR!"

At first, Hiccup was about to make his way forward and join in with his father, but another thought hit his mind as he remembered what Magnus said about Toothless. He looked back at the older Viking and gave a nod to himself as he spun towards the forest.

"I have to go." he said, sheathing his blade and catching the attention of his father.

"Hiccup, you can't!" the Chieftain called out as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Dad... There's something I must do if we're to assure our victory."

Stoick shook his head. "Don't, Son!" he ordered, but Hiccup responded with a wink towards his father before rushing out off. His mind focused on running towards the forest and finding the one thing that could help him, his Tribe, and all that he held dear for the sake of survival.

"HICCUP!"

...

* * *

Hiccup rushed through the forest with tension running through him. His feet stomping on the grass and leaves whilst his hands were swiping away at branches and bushes to make way for him.

Right now, the only place he could think of was the cove. He had to reach the cove and find Toothless. Take Magnus' advice and do it.

"C'mon!" he grunted. "I've gotta get there in time before everything's lost! I've gotta get there…"

Time was on his side thankfully, and he managed to reach the cove in a quick period of time. He squeezed himself through the gaps leading into the peaceful area, and he slid down the steep hill.

His rush and desperation however would cause him to slip and fall towards the frosty ground on his first step, landing face first, though he quickly shoved aside the pain as he pushed himself up.

He looked around the area, trying to spot a large black winged figure that would be Toothless, hopefully lying around or doing something. He glanced from his left side, to his right side, and then forward… but all he saw was the terrain. The Night Fury wasn't in sight.

"Toothless!" he called out loudly, hoping for a response. A growl, a roar; something.

But once again, there was nothing...

It was then, that the young Viking felt despair wash over him. He ran to the very cove he found Toothless to find help, and in return the help had just left him, and his hopes immediately began to die out. Hiccup sat on his knees as his eyes dropped towards the ground.

"Why…?" he asked himself, letting out a long and hopeless sigh as he felt a warm stream of air hit his face. It seemed there was nothing left for him to do aside to do what he must - go back, and fight like a Viking. Another warm stream of air then hit his face as he continued thinking...

'...Wait, is that warm air?' he asked him.

He slowly turned his head to gaze up, and before him stood the mighty and familiar black winged creature that he had been looking for. Toothless stared at Hiccup with calm and non-aggressive eyes, and Hiccup's eyes in return widened.

"Oh, bud." he said, sighing in relief. "You don't know how relieved I am to see you… but for now, I need your help. I beg of you. Please…"

From his words, Toothless could sense Hiccup's worry and fear. It became obvious to the Black Dragon that the young man had ran to the cove to search for him, and the knowledge on why was clear as he also sensed loud shakings of the earth and heard large explosions from far away.

From this, the Dragon growled angrily.

His gaze then landed back on Hiccup, and with his head he rushed under the Viking and leaped him up into the air.

"AAAGH!" he screamed, flying up, but unexpectedly landing down on the back of the Black Dragon, facing the other direction from when he was looking at him.

Hiccup proceeded to then climb up into a comfortable position as he gripped his hands around Toothless' neck, and sat on his scaley back.

" _Hold on tight."_ was what the Black Dragon said with his gesture and motion, and immediately the two of them went flying up into the air, with the thoughts of battle and fighting at the front of their minds. Hiccup held on tight, a smirk spreading across his face as he unsheathed his sword.

The time was now. The moment was upon them. The Battle for Berk and the fate of the Archipelago had just begun...

* * *

 **The Battle for Berk begins next chapter...**

 **Until then,**

 **To be continued...**


	25. The Siege of Berk - Act I

**Right, everyone.** **I'd like to remind you all and say that is part is the first of three parts that I'll be writing for the Siege of Berk, and they will be longer than the usual chapters. This part will focus more on Magnus, and how he leads the gang and his men into battle - plus, this first confrontation will show how skilled and tactical he is in fighting, and I'm sure you're all going to love it.**

 **Also, no worries, Hiccup makes his appearance near the end, and in the next two parts it'll be his time to rise.**

 **Once again, a big thanks to all who reviewed last chapter. You guys are still amazing!**

 **Now, no more talk from me I say. Let us sit back, and read this new chapter. Let the Siege of Berk unfold...**

* * *

"ARCHERS, MAKE WAY TO THE RAMPARTS, AND PREPARE TO FIRE ON MY ORDER!" shouted Stoick as a small regiment ran alongside him.

Not long had passed since Hiccup left to find Toothless, but the village as of then was now in chaos. Soldiers were running all over to get into their positions, catapults were being loaded atop the cliffs and towers, and the horn was blowing loudly as enemy artillery fire flew overhead.

Magnus, Eira, Astrid, Snotlout, Spitelout, Fishlegs, Heather, the Twins, and Gobber; all of them were rallied behind Stoick as he overlooked from the wooden ramps that towered above the harbor. Everyone glared at the enemy, with the will and courage within them to fight, ready.

Dagur stepped forward, facing the elite crowd and turning his head to the nearby warriors. "Remember everyone; these damned barbarians will not give up until there is nothing left of their forces as I've fought them before!" he began. "So whatever you do, do not break! Hold the line! Stay with one another! We can win this if we try!"

"Aye!" one warrior called out, raising his axe with a few others near him.

"And remember! ...What we do here and now, in life, shall echo into eternity! We are the true Vikings, and WE SHALL NOT GIVE IN TO THESE WRETCHES!"

Cheers followed from Dagur's speech, loud enough for Olaf to hear, who stood atop his large iron cog flagship - ready and eager to do battle.

The commanders were there as well, cracking their knuckles, rolling their shoulders, licking their blades, and glaring at the Hooligans and Berserkers who stood rallied against them. So far, this had been the most that they had seen… but their minds told them it would be no different.

General Olaf then gave a grunt and a growl, turning around to face his commanders and warriors that were standing aboard his ship. Each of them ready as much as their foe was, but more barbaric and berserk as if they want blood.

"VÖLSUNG!" he called out. "VIKINGS, BARBARIANS, AND RUS'! TODAY, WE MAKE OUR MARK IN HISTORY!" His voice was bellowing as loud as thunder, filled with bloodlust. "For too long we have all wandered and wasted our time in cold and barren wastes! Struggling to survive in frozen deserts that had no purpose aside claiming land from one another whilst we farmed!"

His expression then turned grinful as a wide smile began to spread across his face. "But now, as ONE coalition reborn! No one can hope to stand against the GREAT ARMY! For we will cut our blades through our foes' weak bodies, and we will burn their homes until there is nothing left but ash and brimstone!"

His warblade rose up high for all to see, as he yelled louder than ever; "THE GREAT TIDE COMES! AND WITH IT, OUR WRATH!"

Thousands cheered from all around aboard the ships, booming like drums for Berk to understand the true force that they were going against, but that too would not change a thing as it was stand or die.

Magnus' brows lowered with determination however, facing the Chieftain of Berk with the same eagerness. "Let me go down below with my men." he said. "We're the only chance that you have for a stable front. I've trained them and had them fight like no other Viking here has. We can stand against them."

Stoick, though concerned about the safety of his men compared to the overwhelming numbers, gave a nod as he sighed. "Then do so if you must." he said. "But take Snotlout, Astrid, and the rest with you. I'm sure they'll follow your example."

"...Very well." replied Magnus.

It was then however, that Eira too stepped forth, stopping a couple of feet away from her best friend. "I'll come with you." she said. "I won't leave your side and leave you exposed to those monsters, those-"

"No." he interrupted, which had then placed Eira in a confused position. Why was he refusing her? She followed him everywhere he went, and assisted him with almost every hardships. So why was he doing this? ...He was like a fellow warrior-in-arms. Like a friend. Like a best friend… like a-

"It's… too risky." he said to her, shaking his head. "What we're doing here is a potential suicide mission, Eira, and I don't want you to get involved. If there's one place you're needed, it is here with our soldiers. Your skill in archery and presence of morale is needed."

"...But I can't- I won't leave you… Magnus, I-"

His hands fell to her shoulders as he lightly shook her, and he gave her a nod of assurance that he'd come back. "I'll return." he said. "This I promise you. I will not die today, no matter what."

She gave out a quick but heavy sigh, nodding with a small but weak smile on her face, thinking of Magnus as more to her than ever before. "Alright." she said. "Just… stay safe. And if you need me, call out for me."

The young Viking chuckled. "You too." he replied.

As he was about to part ways however, Spitelout stepped forward as he cleared his throat to catch his attention. "Aye, and… Magnus. A quick word. Keep my boy safe, will ya? I don't want him ta die today."

"Same applies to Heather." added on Dagur. "Make sure she doesn't get herself killed." he joked.

Heather rolled her eyes, unsheathing her axe. "I can take care of myself, brother."

Magnus gave a small laugh, but bowed his head, keeping his word. "Come on." said Astrid as she tugged on his shoulder, and the small but elite group was off down to the harbor where the first few ships had landed, each holding twenty five warriors.

"We'll be outnumbered down below!" warned Magnus as they all continued running. "So be sure to watch your moves! Hold the line, and stay with me! Today, they die, and we hold!"

Eventually, the group halted at the bottom of the ramp which they would use as their advantage. As their choke point. And from the distance they saw the multitudes of not just Vikings, but Barbarians and Rus' rally up together as they prepared to march towards Magnus and those that stood next to him.

It was fifteen against over a hundred.

From the enemy force, a Völsung captain stood out of the crowd and made his way forward with his axe and shield in hand. His axe looked sharpened and dangerous, his cloak consisted of a wolf's hide, and his armor was that of chain and plate with his helmet covering his face, excluding his evil eyes. For the first time, everyone aside Magnus could see what their enemy truly looked like up in person, and it was somewhat terrifying.

But not terrifying enough...

"WEAKLINGS!" he called out. "Lay down your weapons, and we'll grant you a quick death! We might even spare you… and make you our thralls!"

At first, no response came from Magnus, Astrid, Snotlout, or anyone in the group. The captain just saw them standing there, still and prepared. At first, he was about to lead the charge and make the decision himself… but there was something he did not see coming.

From yards away he could hear a sound in the wind as something came flying closer to him. And as he looked up he saw an object coming right at him, and in an attempt to react he took a quick step backwards foolishly, but that didn't change a thing.

A spear hurled into the chest of the Scandinavian Viking, fast and sharp, hitting the weak spot of his chest armor. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he groaned and gave a loud and quick roar of pain, before falling lifelessly to the wooden floorboard he stood upon.

"HEATHENS!" shouted Astrid as she, Magnus, Snotlout, and everyone around her formed a quick but sturdy shield wall. "COME AND GET THEM!"

The horns of war blew from the enemy side, followed by the battle cries of the warriors of the Great Army bellowing around the docks as they started rushing towards the small group that stood in their way. The first charge had now begun.

Their charge against Magnus however would not prove to be easy as dozens of archers from above the wooden ramparts of the village would run up towards the edges and prepare to rain down Hel upon them.

"ARCHERS! Rain your arrows upon them! KILL THEM!" commanded Eira, and a volley of arrows would fire to the sound of a voice shouting; "LOOSE!"

The raiders however would not fear what came down from above. Their shields rose up towards the skies, and the majority of the arrows hit their shields, with the exception of eight or so warriors falling. But that would not be enough as they were finally closing in.

"Prepare to brace!" warned Magnus, and the shields were repositioned into more sturdy and readied stances.

Snotlout, who stood on Magnus' right flank gave a growl. "...Give them nothing! No mercy! No surrender! Only DEATH! TAKE THEIR LIVES AWAY!"

These words motivated the group to stand more firm, and soon enough, both sides clashed with one another as the distant battle cries were now up close in the gang's faces. The brutal strength of the Heathen forces however was strong enough for the young Vikings to get pushed back, whilst Magnus still stood his ground and the older Vikings from behind were able to keep them standing.

"Push them forward, men! Keep them from pulling!" commanded Magnus, striking with his sword, ordering his men that Astrid and the others were to be reinforced and prevented from being pushed back.

The shield wall was soon enough to be quickly reformed, and from behind the wall, the young Vikings would begin to swing their weapons through the cracks and from above, hoping to get a hit against the enemy.

Magnus, who was giving it nearly his all against the enemy would use both his sword and shield as offensive weapons for one moment, and defensive moments for the other. He would quickly raise his shield up if he was being attacked, as well as block and deflect any strike with his sword that would get through the gaps of the wall.

And, when the moment presented itself, he would swing the shield forward and up to knock back any opponents who were slamming themselves against it. Then, he would stab his sword forward at any open target, easily taking care of them and continuing on with the meat grinder.

"Is that the best you can do!?" he taunted. "You've done a terrible mistake going against one of your former OWN KIND!"

Astrid, though wielding a heavy axe in her right hand aside from using both hands, used the weight of the weapon for her advantage. Swinging through the gaps of the wall would not get her anywhere, so she used her height and the top of the wall to help.

With her strength she swung the weapon upwards and over the wall at a heavy pace, feeling the weapon go lighter as it came down onto what she hoped was an enemy…

...And sure enough, she was right. The brute force of her axe landed upon the helmet of one of the Scandinavian Vikings, causing the metal of the armor to bend and break as her weapon impaled itself into his skull. She then quickly pulled her axe out of his head with much of strength, recovered, and continued repeating this process, taking small breaks after each blow.

Snotlout who wielded a one handed sword in hand used his precision as a helping hand against those who he saw were open to attack. He would spot out an attacker that would make a swift attack, but delayed move, and he would stab the pointy tip of his sword at their faces, necks, or chests - anywhere that was exposed. With this idea, he would be able to pull off kill after kill.

"Your attacks are lazy, Heathens!" taunted Snotlout as he earned himself another kill. "That's six for me!"

As for the Twins, they didn't bother striking back until the enemy struck first, though their shields would be kept up. When an enemy would make an attack directly at one of them, Ruff and Tuff would grab their opponent and drag them behind the shield wall before ruthlessly beating them to death with their maces.

"Haha! Isn't this fun!?" called out Tuffnut as he pulled a Germanic Barbarian behind the wall and began smashing his hammer atop his head.

"Hehe! You bet it, bro! This is more fun than when we were Dragon killing!" replied Ruffnut as she held down the helpless Barbarian and continued beating the living Helheim out of it. Soon enough, he laid dead along with a couple of other corpses, and the Twins continued the fight.

Fishlegs however, as he fought, eventually realized that if they were to even get a greater chance at beating the small confrontation, they'd need to get into the fight themselves. And so, a plan drew itself at the top of his mind as he fought, and a grin spreaded wickedly across his face.

"Open the wall!" Fishlegs called out, and everyone looked at him with faces of confusion, especially Magnus who showed great concern.

"Are you insane!?" he gasped. "You're going to get killed!"

"Just trust me, Magnus! I have a plan!"

The older Viking sighed. "If you insist. ...OPEN THE WALL!" he ordered.

Immediately the center of the shield wall broke into two as it opened, and Fishlegs went diving into the middle of the enemy ranks, knocking many of his foes over and out of the way using his full body strength before diving right back into the allied ranks with two foes being dragged along. Once behind the shield wall, they would be met with a quick end as spears repeatedly stabbing them to death.

Magnus faced Fishlegs with a raised brow, but with both eyes widened wickedly. "Fishlegs! You are a genius, lad!" He would then turn back towards his men and the young Vikings. "Bowmen, ready your arrows! Snotlout, get ready to open the wall again!"

"...When!?"

The arrows from the two archers behind were loaded, and Magnus nodded his head.

"NOW!"

The two Vikings opened the wall, whilst at the same time pushing those who were trying to attack from the otherside back, causing them to fall over. The archers then let their arrows fly, getting two lucky hits on a Rus' and Barbarian as they fell to the floorboards, dying from the arrows gouging deep within them.

With all of these tactics occuring all at once, it soon became apparent that the tide was beginning to turn as more Heathens fell compared to all fifteen Vikings who still stood their ground, mostly unharmed and only slightly injured.

As for Heather, she too helped in holding the shield wall whilst attacking from behind and over, and slowly began to push with the others. It was then that she felt the tip of a blade scratch the side of her cheek as a spear came dabbing in towards their ranks, and drops of blood flew across her cheek.

"AAARGH!" she screamed with a warcry, pushing her shield upwards in an attempt to knock over her opponents on the other side… surprisingly, this trick work, and with one swing of her double-bladed axe she was able to decapitated three Heathens in a row.

"FINISH UP!" called out Magnus as the wall continued to push forward like a catapult. With barely enough morale to buff up the Heathen troops, the skirmishing force was met with a retreat as their will to fight suddenly broke. Even from a distance where General Olaf saw this, his eyes were shocked and widened at the view. By far, the Hooligans were the only ones that were able to stand up and give an actual fight, and it seemed it would take more to defeat them.

However, his expression changed to a smirk when he eyed longboats nearing themselves towards the harbor, and he gave out a small chuckle. "Right on time." he said, giggling.

Even as Magnus stood and watched as the last foe of the first skirmishing force was struck down by an arrow, he looked up and forward and saw that the Heathens had reformed and enforced, as now more than a dozen ships had made port, with three times the amount than the first wave.

They all then discarded from their ships and immediately began rushing towards Magnus, Astrid, Snotlout, and the group, letting out roars and screams of war in unison.

"Oh come ON…!" he sighed before turning to the gang and his men, and shouting; "RETREAT!" It was obvious that fifteen warriors, even with their skill, could not surpass against three hundred. It was simply too many.

Stoick who was watching the whole thing from above noticed this, and he rushed over to Eira and made her notice the move as well. "They've been reinforced!" he told her. "They're coming our way!"

"ARCHERS!" she called out. "Cover our allies and their retreat! FIRE AT WILL!"

Volleys of arrows once again began coming down upon the Heathens, focused mostly on those that were chasing the small group of fifteen, but this would prove to once again not be enough. On a couple dozen would fall from the volleys, and yet they just kept still coming.

Once more, it would prove an even harder challenge when a large cluster halted the chase and looked up towards the archers on the ramparts.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!" ordered a Völsung captain, and immediately the large force of Scandinavian Vikings would load their bows and begin to aim up with their arrows pointed directly at Eira and her regiment.

Eira's eyes widened as she looked down. "Oh, shi-!"

"LOOSE!" ordered the Völsung captain, and soon a large volley of arrows went flying up towards where Eira stood, taking out a chunk of those who were standing next to her. Their accuracy and precision seemed to be more superior in this encounter.

"We need to do something NOW, Stoick!" she said, facing the Chief. "We cannot stay here while arrows and catapult fire are pummeling us down! We need our forces rallied here, and now!"

"Wait, Eira!" said Gobber. "Ye don't know what them Heathen's could do ta ya! They're superior in strength an' numbers, and we need ta devise a strategy!"

"I would think more on that!" replied Stoick as he glanced all around. "Unless I knew where in the THOR'S HAMMER my son is! HICCUP!" he called out, worried for his son's life.

"STOICK!" Magnus called out as he, Astrid, Snotlout, and the group managed to make their way all the back up to the village, but the large force was not far from behind "We can't hold them! They're swarming us!" he said. "We need to do something, and NOW!"

Stoick looked down for a moment, thoughtless. His mind was split into two on thinking about his son, and on thinking about the fight. Of whom should he focus more on, the safety of Hiccup, or his people? What was he supposed to do?

"We need to find a way to push them back, Stoick!" Magnus said again, his voice sounding more desperate. "If we don't act now, Berk will be lost! What do we DO!?"

His last word bellowed in the wind as it echoed, and it almost seemed as if another voice… no - a roar in the air responded back to him, also echoing.

They all looked around, glancing up in the air from the sound of that roar. It sounded… so familiar, yet it was hard to tell out what it was from it being a long distance away. What was it that made that roar? It was definitely enough to catch the attention of the second wave and put them to a halt, but what was it?

"What the Thor's hammer is that?" asked Stoick.

"...Wait." said Astrid "That sound- that roar… it sounds like the roar of a-"

Suddenly a high pitched and loud screeching sound filled the air and blocked out all other noises. It grew louder and louder almost as if it came closer and closer, and from the sky a tiny black dot came into view which came spiraling down towards the village. Upon further inspection, it was clear that it was a Dragon that came into view.

But, it was no ordinary Dragon…

Toothless came flying down at a great velocity towards the large cluster of Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus', and with a powerful charged up Plasma Blast, he sent dozens and dozens of warriors flying back from the force of the attack's firepower, along with many of them burning.

"Yeah, BABY!" laughed Hiccup who was sitting atop the mighty and powerful Dragon of which was the Night Fury.

Magnus' mouth dropped. "HICCUP YOU BASTARD! It hasn't even been twenty minutes!" called out Magnus, laughing in relief as he saw the scrawny Viking flying in.

Stoick's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing his son riding the swift creature, and his mouth let out a gasp as he whispered; 'What the Hel?'

He then said loudly; "Is that… MY son? On a DRAGON?"

Gobber stepped forward, his head shaking as he gestured his prosthetic hammer towards the two. "Stoick! Tha's no ordinary Dragon! Tha's a Night Fury! Tha beast's attack makes it obvious!"

"We've got to get in there, then!" nodded Stoick, yelling for nearby troops to rally and ready an attack. "And not one of you is to dare attack that Dragon! My son is atop it! If it falls, so does my son!"

"C'mon, Berserkers!" shouted Dagur, inspired. "Let's show these Heathens what it TRULY means, to be BERSERK!"

Hiccup from atop Toothless looked down at the large fleet, spotting out ship after ship and inspecting what targets seemed the best for him and his Dragon.

To his luck, he spotted a large longship carrying dozens of warriors, and on it he saw as a few catapults kept suppressing fire onto the village. So, with this knowledge in mind of taking out an important ship to even the odds, it was clear where he was going to attack.

"Right, Bud!" he said, patting Toothless. "Let's show 'em what we're made of. And mind the arrows!"

Toothless roared and growled in response, obliging and agreeing to the young Viking. Once again, the Black Dragon soared high up into the air with a loud screech, letting out the familiar warning that he was about to strike. Once he was at a high enough altitude, he charged down from the skies and went straight for the large ship that Hiccup pointed out earlier…

...And with the release of a charged up and powerful plasma blast, the wooden ship exploded into two as more than half the enemy crew went flying off the ship in flames.

From the flagship, Olaf and his commanders watched as Hiccup and Toothless also pummeled down attack after attack on the withering and clustered up forces that were on shore. If they weren't spreaded out or advancing fast enough, then one Dragon would be the end of them.

He would not buy it however as his arrogance was too much, and he turned towards his commanders.

"Commanders!" he said. "Get all of our forces into the fight! Advance all our ships, and concentrate the attack on that one point! Get them up the ramparts!"

"But General, it's too risky!" the Iron Wolf commander pointed out. "That Dragon will just blast us all off that island and send us running back to-"

"Then get our forces to climb the cliffs!" he said, interrupting him. "Climb the cliffs, climb the ramparts' supports, use whatever means necessary!"

"...And the Devastators?" the Dark Eye commander pointed out.

Olaf grinned. "...Have them prepared for operation."


	26. The Siege of Berk - Act II

**Now, before starting this chapter, I'd like to make a quick note on the Devastators so that you guys understand what they are when you read about their reveal as I know some of you are probably going to ask me about them. I'll tell you guys specifically the idea it's based on.**

 **Now, the idea of the Devastators came from one of the types of war machines that Drago Bludvist used in HTTYD 2. If you remember, it sent out speeding metal shells that would explode on impact in flames and smoke - the Devastator in this story is what that is based on, only in a different image of it being bigger and more destructive. So to those who are concerned, I hope this helps clears things up for you!**

 **Also, a thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I am glad you guys are loving this story so far!**

 **Now, I believe we should continue on into the next chapter. Let's go on, shall we?**

* * *

From the higher altitude in the distance, Hiccup glanced and watched as the enemy Vikings began scaling the ramps and cliffs in an attempt to get to the position where his father and the others stood, holding their ground with archer fire, but it was clear to the scrawny Viking that there was too much to handle at once due to what was going on from the sea and on land.

He had to make a decision on whether to go for those that were climbing near to his friends' position, or to attack those of whom were dealing devastating damage to the village from the ships.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless. "Whaddya think, Bud?" he asked. "Ships, or land?"

The fearless Night Fury growled towards the main thing that caught his attention, in this case the reinforcements that were coming in to enforce the main line near the top of the cliffs.

"Well, if you say so." he said to the Dragon, shrugging. "Let's go, Bud!"

Toothless let out a mighty roar, and the two of them were soon off. Quickly they began to pick up speed as they bolted towards a large cluster of Heathens that were close to advancing onto his father and friends, and with a screech, followed by one quick but charged up blast, the Dragon was able to cause a slight sense of fear in them as he aimed directly at the front of the advancing enemy line, killing more than three dozen of their enemies and injuring a few others.

With Berk's forces enforced and given time to attack, Hiccup and Toothless would turn their attention towards the sea where the other real action was going, and they bolted forward towards it.

However, this attack wouldn't stop the next wave.

"Damn! They're still getting closer!" Stoick pointed out, noticing another advance. His men turned towards the wide ramp leading down into the harbor and made ready for the attack. "DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS, MEN! NOW!" the Chief shouted.

Gobber, who was standing next to Stoick waved his prosthetic hammer in the air, charging forward as he yelled out his inspiration to the warriors. "Ya 'eard tha Chief, get te it! Either we die, o' they die!"

"SHIELD WALL!" ordered Magnus, speaking loud and clear to his men and the group, and in a quick maneuver - another shield formation was made, with Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, the Twins, Dagur, Spitelout, and Gobber at the front with him whilst Stoick stood back to give morale to his men.

"HOLD!" called out Magnus, embracing the second charge of Vikings, Rus', and Barbarians; and as they were impacted shield to shield, a great pause of silence and stillness hit both sides like lightning, and the first ones to react were once again the allied forces.

Magnus gave an order once more. "SWING SHIELDS!" he shouted to the front line, and with a great heave, the allies swung their shields up and forward at the Heathens, causing them to stumble back before they struck at them with their weapons, killing ten or more foes, with the addition of archer fire taking out eight or so more Heathens.

"HAHAHA!" laughed Dagur as he impaled his axe into a Bloody Berserker. "Now that'll show them who the TRUE Berserkers are! Never give in, never surrender!"

His words gave morale to the nearby Berserkers of whom were fighting at his side, and with a strong push they began to slowly push forward towards the enemy like a moving wall. Although this changed up the shield wall, the battle line was definitely no longer straight as the gang would be able to close into the enemy on one side, creating a flank for their advantage.

"Keep it up, Vikings!" shouted Astrid. "We've gotten this far because of our ability! Our skill and strength compared to these Heathens is far more than they could've ever dreamed of! We can't mess up now!"

And she really did mean it. By far, because of Hiccup's progress with Toothless, of Magnus' teachings to give them the chance to fight, of Stoick's inspiration and presence to fight on, and of the gang as a whole, they were able to continue standing. This confidence boost was as well something that Astrid relied on in this battle as her senses from foes became more aware.

As an enemy would strike her, she would find the time to dodge with a simple step to the side, not giving a Thor of what was coming at her, and then she would quickly react with his axe and shield as she rapidly hit her shield and the blade of her axe against her opponent, almost like punching with fists which led to her to getting a kill.

This same opportunity arose when specifically a Bloody Berserker came charging at her with bloodlust and carnage, her warcry loud enough to pierce a man's ears - but not Astrid's. Astrid swung her shield up to bash away nearby opponents, and she made her way opened to the Barbarian to charge and strike her.

...And the Germanian did just that, falling for Astrid's trap as the younger Viking stepped to the side, catching the great axe of the Bloody Berserker with her weapon and swinging it away to make her off balance, just before Astrid would swing her shield hard at the Barbarian's head, with her axe following and striking at the lower sides of her stomach.

Although the Barbarian was supposed to feel no pain in herself from the bloodlust, it seemed that the rage that was filled within had failed her. The strikes were too much to handle from Astrid, and soon she succumbed to darkness as the younger Viking looked down and spat on her corpse.

What followed from Astrid was a roar that wasn't natural for her when she charged into battle. It sounded more like a warcry that would be let out from the Scandinavian Vikings, more guttural and more fierce... It was clear that the Viking within Astrid Hofferson was about to show itself, and so she went back into the fight, letting this fury be unleashed.

Out at sea, Hiccup and Toothless were collecting up most of the archer and artillery fire from the catapults and bowmen. The two of them would cover each other's backs to allow them to work as one, with Hiccup making the decisions and Toothless acting out as the weapon.

However, to his left he noticed that an advance of ships had begun to make way towards the rocky cliffs of the village, numbering a large majority of the armada. Worse, they were going at a faster speed of knots, thus Hiccup had to act quickly.

"They're advancing on our allies' position, Toothless!" he said, warning the Black Dragon. "Go for advanced maneuvers! Fly in-between their ships and let's catch their attention to turn their own weapons against each other! Let's confuse them!"

At first, the Night Fury was unsure of what his friend meant. But when his eyes fell upon the volleys of arrows and the flaming boulders that flew over the village, he gave out a warble of laughter, understanding Hiccup.

The Dragon swiftly turned to the left, and began flying deeper into the enemy ranks as he flew in-between the ships to catch their attention, especially the larger ones that laid near the iron flagship.

"DRAGON ON THE RIGHT!" called out the captain of a nearby longship. "Archers! Ready your arrows, prepare to fire on my mark! Catapults! Load up!"

Viking archers immediately responded to the command, rushing towards the right flank of the ship with their arrows out and their bows aimed and ready. They aimed up towards the Night Fury that flew above them, who had oddly slowed down on his maneuver in speed. To some of the men, it was strange, but they proceeded regardless. Orders were orders.

A few catapults were as well loaded - with their boulders covered in oil and lit aflame and prepared to be launched at the clear target that flew above them in the grey cloudy winter sky.

"Wait for it, Bud!" said Hiccup as his eyes followed the large longship - loaded with more than half a hundred Vikings aiming at him and Toothless.

"LOOSE!" the captain ordered, and the arrows went flying like rain towards Hiccup and Toothless… however, this trick was all part of Hiccup's.

"Now, Bud!" responded Hiccup.

Toothless roared as his speed once again picked up, and the two of them flew off past the flying projectiles that were aimed at them, which had completely missed their target and instead had gone for another that the Heathens did not see it coming.

The captain's eyes widened with regret and realization as a gasp escaped his breath. "It was a trap!" he shouted, anger filling up with a mix of worry on what Olaf would do to him.

In the distance, another large longship that was sailing towards the cliffs from the main force had received a direct hit from FRIENDLY fire that came from the longship behind them. Most of the arrows of the Völsung archers had found their targets and killed more than three dozen Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus' warriors along with their captain. The catapult fire finished off the rest however, and impacts of fire slowly burnt the ship until it had begun to sink.

Olaf noticed this and gasped in anger. "What's happened!?" he asked.

"Your own men fired upon our allies, General." said the Dark Eye commander. "You've lost yourself two major battle ships."

The General raised a brow. "What are you talking about? The one that signaled the attack is still afloat!"

His words would deceive him however as the familiar screech from Toothless filled and echoed the air, before a large explosion of purple fire impacted the other large longship from the Dragon's powerful plasma blast. Hiccup and Toothless then flew by with speed as _that_ boat began sinking.

"The gods do not deceive my eyes, General." the Dark Eye commander responded, giving a light chuckle. "The young Viking riding the beast trapped your own men into attacking your allies rather than himself. That is why your advancing longship sank."

"Clever bastard…" Olaf grunted before turning to his engineers that were working on the Devastators. "GET THOSE WEAPONS READY ON THE DOUBLE! I want that Dragon blasted out of the sky! If the boy lives, he'll become my slave once again and will receive the torture of his life. If he dies, even better!"

The engineers nodded, quickening their efforts on preparing the metallic twelve foot tall siege weapons for their operation, for they would send a booming of destruction against Berk.

A grin started to spread on Olaf's face as he eyed the Iron Wolf commander. "Gahh… These things will once again deliver the destruction I crave… such cleverness for you to invent an advanced type of Bombard."

"Heh. Regards to the Chieftain." said the commander. "I assure you that he has more weaponry on the way than just these Devastators that he's been inventing in his prints, for I guarantee that they will advance our arsenal."

Olaf nodded with a smirk. "Then we'll just have to find out what it is once we get back to Kattegat. I am sure the other Chieftains would like to hear the destruction and conquest that we have thus far carved out throughout this Archipelago… and many more lands to come."

Just as he was about to continue however, a large clicking noise interrupted him as gears from the weapons shifted into place. The commanders and Olaf turned to see the large siege weapons now operational as the inside of the barrels of the weapons were heated and lightened up with lowly lit fires.

"The Devastators are now operational!" called out the overseer. "On your command, General!"

Olaf smiled. "Get them into position, and prepare to fire! These bombards will blast that Dragon out of the sky, and burn the village and it's inhabitants to ashes!"

It was clear that things were about to get worse for Berk and its allies, but the battle from Stoick's position still wasn't looking great at all...

At the top of the cliffs near the village, Stoick still paced back and forth with his weapon in hand, inspiring his men to fight on with battle cries and shouts of motivation. He would even on occasion get into the fight himself to help stabilize the situation, before getting the warrior he was helping back on his or her feet with the fight continuing.

However, things from behind too were about to go worse.

Stoick turned his gaze around towards the edges of the cliffs, and he saw multitudes of Vikings, Rus', and Barbarians rush them with war cries and battle shouts, screaming out their bloodlust in unison as they began to charge Stoick and his forces from the rear.

"THEY'RE COMING IN FROM BEHIND US!" shouted Stoick, grabbing the group's attention to turn as the Hooligan warriors still fought on. "Someone, cover us!"

"I've got this!" responded Dagur, turning around with Heather at his side as he raised his war axe into the air. "BERSERKERS! Rush them!" he yelled out, and the Berserkers turned themselves towards the rear and charged the Heathens, not bracing to make a shield wall this time. Their place of the front line was as well reinforced with reserves rushing in to enforce the wall.

And it was then, that the Berserker and Heathen forces clashed with one another - and this time, Dagur and Heather were prepared. The first blows they made as their axes struck their first targets were direct kills, all the while the Berserkers scattered around fighting their own individual targets, and with the training that they had gone through, they were more than able to actually make a stand.

Heather for instance was surrounded by three Vikings that managed to reach her as she went charging past the rear enemy line with others by her side. The first one struck with fury, but was a little too inaccurate as his weapon was caught by Heather, and with the other blade of her axe - Heather struck him down at the neck.

The second one wielded a great axe and attempted to attack Heather from the side and below, hoping to cleave her in two from her legs. However, he did not count on the reflex that Heather would use as a comeback towards him, and she easily dodged the attack with a circling jump - followed by a kick to the chest at the Viking. This impact blew all of the air out of his lungs, and with the momentum at Heather's side she approached the weakened and knelt down Viking, raised her axe, and decapitated him.

As she turned to then face the third opponent, she was quickly met with the Heathen being stabbed in the back by a Berserker spearman before falling to the ground and meeting his demise. Though she gave a shrug at it, she still continued to fight on.

Next to her, her brother Dagur was counting up kills as he was pinned down in a corner - though this corner was his meat grinder as his moves and skills were a lot more hasty and accurate compared to those who tried to strike. He would even trick some of his foes to attacking their own warriors by making them strike at where he stood which was by another of their own.

His words of counting even echoed as he kept killing his enemies. "Fifteen! Sixteen! Seventeen! Eighteen!" he shouted, embedding his axe into opponent after opponent that came at him. It truly was a slaughter, and he liked it.

...Back up above in the skies, Toothless and Hiccup were still cycle charging at the enemy, with Toothless firing blasts at clusters of Heathens as fast as his ability could allow him, while at the same time still charging them up for more power.

Though still, they were being fired upon from all directions… and yet still they held their ground in the air, flying strong and firm - or at least, that's what they both still thought.

Hiccup's attention soon fell left when he eyed suspicious movement going on atop the flagship. He saw flames and sparks in the distance as if torches were lit. He heard the moving of gears like that of a gate with chains opening or closing, and wheels like that of giant carts moving. It was hard for him to understand what was going on, but his curiosity got the best of him.

He squinted his eyes and looked back at Toothless. "Alright, Bud. Something strange is going on over there... Turn left!"

The Dragon nodded and did as his friend told him to, turning left to fly towards near the flagship.

However, what the two were doing was exactly what Olaf wanted them to do. It was all part of his plan, and as the black flying figure got closer and closer, his grin spread wider across his face. Wickedly.

"Haha… I've got you now, Slave." he said, raising his fist up into the air to signal his engineers. "TAKE AIM!" he shouted.

Those words immediately stopped Toothless from flying towards the flagship. The look on the Dragon soon turned from that of determination to doubt as his eyes fell on something vile and horrid that he never thought that he nor Hiccup would've ever seen. In front of him, six large war machines stood, ready and aimed at the Dragon and his rider. These constructs, were the Devastators. These war machines were big iron cannons.

"What the Hel are THOSE!?" gasped Hiccup as the six cannons aimed their large metallic barrels up at him and Toothless, and immediately the insides of the barrels began to heat up and light up more with flames - all before Olaf bellowed one word loudly at his men:

"FIRE!"

Loud _BOOMs_ erupted from the Devastators, one by one, and from them came large fiery projectiles flying out towards Hiccup and Toothless at full speed, so fast that it was difficult for the two of them to maneuver on time as they were both surprised and shocked.

However, Hiccup managed to get back to his senses, and his eyes suddenly fell upon his Dragon. "TOOTHLESS, FLY BACK! FLY BACK!"

The Dragon did as best as he could, bolting around to fly back towards their allies who had too seen the horrors of what had just unraveled before their very eyes. Toothless flew faster, and faster… but it was too late.

One of the projectiles managed to hit near one of the cliffs, sending out a large fiery explosion which caused Hiccup and Toothless to go plummeting down towards the piers of the docks, where they were filled with multitudes of Vikings, Rus', and Barbarians.

"HOLD ON, TOOTHLESS!"


	27. The Siege of Berk - Act III

**I'd like to give a huge apology for the wait, guys! This chapter had came out WAY longer than I expected, and I assure you that what happens here in this chapter _might_ surprise you, but I can't guarantee it will. (Also, apologies for any grammar mistakes.)**

 **Once more I'd like to give a thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! If you liked the previous one, you might like this one.**

 **Now, let us finally bring an end to this siege, and find out what happens here and now! (This isn't the final chapter by the way!)**

* * *

All eyes from the gang widened as their focus fell onto Hiccup and Toothless, with the two of them spiraling down towards the piers where over a hundred or more Vikings stood, marching and waiting to rush up towards their position.

"SON!" screamed Stoick, rushing to the edge of the cliffs as he sliced a Rus' warrior out of the way with his axe into the side of his stomach. He ran past the dead warrior and watched Hiccup hurling downwards. His eyes now fearful and filled with worry.

"No!" gasped Astrid, watching Hiccup fall towards the enemy ranks as she became wordless and unable to decide on what to do next. Now it was her mind that was in a mess divided into two on what she should go for; the enemy, or for Hiccup?

Her concentration was difficult however as projectiles of fire and metal came flying from the Devastators, impacting and exploding all around her. Houses were being destroyed, warriors were sent flying all over - burning, and quickly their ranks began to run thin, even as reserves ran in to hold the line. At this rate, if it kept on going, Berk would soon become nothing but a husk.

With no other thought in mind, her eyes fell onto Magnus, Eira, and the others. "SOMEONE, DO SOMETHING!" she screamed.

Magnus turned his head, hearing the desperation in her voice whilst glancing down at the pier where Hiccup and Toothless had now landed… as well as where they were now bound by nets as slowly the multitudes began to surround the young Viking and Dragon.

His thoughts caved in however, but deep down he knew what to do.

...No, it would not end like this.

"No…" he said to himself, pulling his shield back before a warrior would run in and take his place. "It cannot end like this. It WILL NOT end like this! Eira, with me!"

Eira who was standing nearby spun to face Magnus, and she nodded at him before she too abandoned her position and allowed another warrior to take it. Snotlout however showed concern, and he looked at Magnus with an arched brow. "What are you doing!?" he asked.

"We're going down to jump!" replied Magnus, standing at the edge of the cliff with Eira. "Saving Hiccup is my priority right now, and I will not see his life taken away after all he has been through! He _must_ be saved!"

Snotlout blinked. "Are you crazy!? You're going to get yourselves killed! There's over a hundred men down there waiting to-"

"It doesn't make a difference considering we've killed nearly half their entire army!" interrupted Eira, her brows lowered at the Heathens. "We have to do this if Berk is to continue on for generations, and remember that that's the Chief's SON. You promised to show him what it means to be Heir, and we'll see that promise made. If Hiccup dies, so does the future of Berk!"

Snotlout sighed, nodding at Eira. He knew that she was right. He made a promise to Stoick and to Hiccup that he would show him what it meant to be an Heir, and what it would take to become one. After all, there was still so much for Hiccup to learn and do.

Finally, the young Heir nodded. "Very well, then. Go ahead-!"

"I'm coming too!" said Astrid, running towards Magnus and Eira. Her face, axe, and arms were dirty and covered in stains of blood from fighting, and her eyes showed determination that she was willing to go down further and fight.

"Lass, you don't have to do this." Magnus said, shaking his head lightly. "You're need more here with our warriors. Hiccup's safety will be in our hands-"

"He is also in mine!" she interrupted, gripping her axe tighter. "From the day I met him I vowed to protect him and keep him safe, as I do with my friends and as I did with my family before they sailed off and never returned! To me, he is the closest thing I have to both a friend and family, and I will not see him die today! ...Please, Magnus."

Her voice fell soft, and the two older Vikings eyed Astrid with concern and curiosity. There was something in her that Magnus and Eira noticed, but they couldn't get the message. "What are you trying to say, Astrid?" asked Magnus. "Why do you want to go down there so badly?"

Astrid sighed. "Because… because I love him."

Those words widened Magnus and Eira's eyes, along with their hearts' pumping slowing down. After all that Astrid and Hiccup had been through, the lass now admits her love and loyalty to the young Viking who laid below, and it felt almost as if time had slowed down for them. It was almost as if the gods could sense Astrid's love for Hiccup, and were giving them this chance to save him.

Magnus slowly gave a nod. "...So be it." he said with a smile. "Come here, lass. We've got some fighting to do."

Astrid's frown of disappointment soon turned back into a grin and an expression of determination. She ran towards Magnus' left flank and once again gripped her axe tightly, breathing in and out with deep puffs of air as she was ready to jump down and save her best friend's life.

Down below, Hiccup and Toothless laid down against the floorboards of the pier, dizzy and bound by a large net that was thrown at them with round iron weights keeping it down. Where they were, they were useless against the enemy.

Hiccup shook his head, trying to get his senses of sight back, for all he could hear near him was the laughter of the Heathens, and from above - there was the screaming and war cries of the Hooligan and Berserker warriors as the Great Viking Army's troops soon began pouring into the village from the cliffs, and soon fighting started all over in the town - spread out with no battle lines.

He also heard explosions of fire and metal, coming from the nearby Devastators that were unleashing Helheim onto Berk. Flames and smoke soon too began to spread, for he could smell it. Plus, there was further screaming as warriors came flying down in flames from the destructive and large cannons.

"Hehe! These little pups have nowhere to go!" laughed the Broken Axe commander as he approached the downed Viking and Dragon. "Your deaths are going to amuse our General, and our King; Ivar the Boneless! Plus, I am sure that Dragon will become a good cloak once his skin is hided!"

Hiccup growled at the commander in a guttural noise. "I am no pup, and nor is my Dragon." he told the Viking angrily. "What you face is one of the most dangerous Dragons that you'll ever find, and you stand before the son of a Chieftain. I am no pup, nor slave!"

"Haha… bold words." the commander responded, unsheathing his axe. "But we'll see how you reply when your tongue is ripped out from your mouth and shoved down your-"

Toothless, who laid there beneath the large net, wasn't about to give up so easily. And so, with all the strength he could muster, he did his best to stand all fours as he let out the loudest, ear-piercing roar that he could've ever let out. The roar was so loud that even the enemy Vikings from yards away had to cover their ears.

After Toothless finished his roar, he laid low and down on the floorboards of the pier, allowing the weight of the net to continue tackling him down. For Hiccup however, he was not sure what exactly had happened. What was it that Toothless did? Was it a response to back off? ...Was it a cry for help?

His answer would soon be given though, as a few other multiple roars echoed through the air like a breeze in the wind. Hiccup looked around up in the skies, wondering where those sounds came from. Then, he started to hear wings flapping...Were those… Dragons?

...Indeed they were. From above, Hiccup could see four figures flying into formation towards his position - four different class Dragons that were ready to unleash their fiery wrath upon the Heathens, and that's exactly what they did as they began targeting, firing, and flying around what remained of the enemy fleet at sea; which was a large chunk of the invasion force as a whole. All enemy eyes fell upon them.

The Broken Axe commander however looked back at Hiccup and Toothless with anger. "Gagh! I'll cut out your TONGUES YOUR LITTLE-!"

Before he could finish however, three loud battle cries came down from above interrupting him, and as Hiccup and Toothless looked up - they saw three figures falling towards them.

Magnus, Eira, and Astrid came hurling downwards from above the cliffs, landing atop three opened and exposed Heathens, giving them the gruesome kills they deserved as their bodies were pinned down to the ground.

Magnus, who was kneeling down, looked up at the commander and gave a grin. "Hello there." he said.

The dozens of Broken Axe Vikings around him reacted as they turned from the attacking Dragons and rushed into offensive formations, ready to strike at the three of whom they had thought had fallen downwards to meet their demises.

"Ah… so you must be that Magnus boy that our King told us about!" the commander said with intriguement, stepping forward. "I can tell you are him just by the armor you are wearing. That is Scandinavian Viking armor you wear, with blue cloth and leather wearing. I assume you stole it from the Völsung?"

"It no longer belongs to Ivar's weak Clan." spat back Magnus, spinning his sword in a taunting fashion. "I wouldn't dare hide myself behind a helmet that has been poorly made by you Heathens."

"Bah! Your helmets have horns, fool! How's that going to save you? Are you going to ram us!?"

Those words from the commander, though caused many laughs, gave Hiccup enough time to react whilst the enemy was distracted with words. He unsheathed his sword from his waist and slowly began to cut his way out of the large net. And before he knew it…

... _Snap, Snap, SNAP!_

The ropes of the net were soon ripped apart and both Hiccup and Toothless charged out of the tattered net, pouncing onto a few nearby Vikings, Rus', and Barbarians. With Hiccup getting his first kill onto his now bloody covered blade, he ran to Magnus' side with Toothless accompanying him, and the five were quickly placed into battle-ready stances.

The commander grunted. "So be it." he said, walking closer. "You face the Broken Axe Clan, one of the mightiest Clans in Scandinavia! Come, fight us-!"

Before he could finish, the sound of metal swinging was heard gliding by as a short blade came flying towards the head of the Broken Axe commander, meeting the tip against the skull as the Viking fell dead - face first with blood covering the corpse's head.

All eyes fell upon Eira. "What?" she asked. "He was speaking too much! Besides, he doesn't seem like the commander of a mighty Clan now that he's…"

Pointing out towards his corpse, a few of the warriors became intimidated as their fear slowly begun to spread throughout the nearby ranks. And with the addition of Toothless letting out a roar, followed by a charged up plasma blast flying into a cluster of Broken Axe warriors, more fuel was added to that fear.

That was it. Dozens began to panic as they started running their ways back to their longships, only to be met with them burning upon boarding as the ships were set ablaze from the once more airborne Night Fury.

Then, Magnus, Hiccup, Astrid, and Eira marched forward with speed, boots stomping, and weapons swinging, for already another engagement had begun against the remaining Heathens that still had the courage to fight, and from the four elite warriors, the fight became a bloodbath.

Much panic had by this point weakened the state of the Vikings, Rus', and Barbarians to fight onwards as the tension caused their blows to become inaccurate and too slow or quickly. Thus, with this advantage for the four, Hiccup, Magnus, Astrid, and Eira were easy to clear the docks and push back any remaining regiment from the piers. Two hundred against four with the support of a Dragon bombarding them in their dozens gave them a chance to stand.

Magnus then plunged his blade into the last foe that remained standing on the docks before pulling the sword out, and he looked back at his friends with a smile of relief and confidence, for their killing streak and frenzy had only just begun…

"The docks are cleared, Hiccup. It seems the Broken Axe Clan can no longer pose a threat here." said Magnus, rushing up to the young lad and give him a hand on his shoulder just as Toothless landed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sort of…" Hiccup replied slowly as his eyes glanced towards the flagship where the large, heavily armored, and destructive war machines stood, firing upon the village of Berk with round after round, whilst half of them aimed for the Dragons, but surprisingly - each round kept missing them. "My only worry is on how long we're going to last this fight. There's still too many of these damned raiders, and those _Devastators_ are giving heavy fire onto the town."

"Who could've thought to stand against such a force?" asked Astrid.

Eira stepped forward next to the younger lass. "Only those who have the key and skill to be able to make it through could've stood and fought, as well as those with the right mind on making their decisions. Though these warriors were all numerical and ready to deliver blood and death to us, it seems that their attacks were not well devised."

"If that's the case," replied Hiccup, turning his head towards the large flagship. "Then it seems we're going to have to take out their leader."

Astrid arched a brow. "You know who he is?"

"Aye, and he is definitely not Ivar… in fact, believe it or not, it's Olaf - that bloody maniac - who is commanding this invasion force. However, I am unsure of just exactly how he was able to take command of an entire army. Last time I saw him, I was just his puppet, and he was but a brutal overseer."

"Ivar gave command to the Slavemaster?" Magnus laughed, letting out a heavy sigh. "Is Ivar not aware that Olaf doesn't have any battle experience?

Hiccup sighed as well, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter, Magnus. We have to take him out if we're to stop his onslaught. He has already done enough damage to many of the islands, and now it's time that we stop him here and now… and get revenge on what he's done to me for the past five years."

"Well, there's one question I must ask," began Astrid. "How do you expect for all of us to fit on your… Dragon. On your Night Fury?"

"His name is Toothless." answered Hiccup. "And as for how exactly we're going to do that, don't worry. I already have a plan in mind…"

Hiccup chuckled as he mounted up onto Toothless, with the Black Dragon spreading his wings out and preparation for flight. He then looked towards Astrid who stood there uncertain, but her eyes widened when Hiccup motioned her to mount up behind him, telling her; "Get on"

She did as he told him to, slowly mounting onto Toothless with her hands gripped around Hiccup's waist. With that out of the way, the young lad then faced Magnus and Eira, saying to them; "Back up, and raised up your arms."

The two of them looked at each other with confusion, wondering what Hiccup was planning. However, for Magnus, he would soon understand what exactly Hiccup would be trying to do as he watched the Night Fury and the two young Vikings fly off towards a distance.

As Toothless went airborne, he made sure to fly at a swift speed to prevent Devastator fire from being pummeled onto him. When he was at a safe distance, he turned back around and flew towards Magnus and Eira who now understood how exactly the Dragon was going to carry them.

"Oh no." sighed Eira, but Magnus lightly nudged her and said with a chuckle; "Hold tight, and don't let go, Eira!"

When Toothless was close enough, he extended both of his front paws and grabbed ahold of the two older Vikings' hands with his strength, holding on tightly to them as they all went airborne out to sea.

"Aghhh!" gasped Eira as she looked down beneath her feet, seeing only the water and ocean waves churn under her. "Uh- this! This is, uh- a new feeling!"

"Relax, Eira!" said Magnus, trying to give her relieving words. "You always told me when you were younger that you always wanted to fly like a Valkyrie! Well, here you go, so imagine you have wings!"

"This is different!" she responded, attempting to keep her calm and cool without letting out signs of tension and fright. "I'm not the one controlling where I go!"

"Guys, not now!" interrupted Hiccup as a projectile from one of the Devastators flew by passed him. "We're closing in on the flagship, prepare to jump!"

His warning came out prepared as the grips on Toothless' paws from Magnus and Eira slightly loosened, and the Dragon began to slowly descend downwards, still flying at the great speed he was going at. Soon, all of them were prepared to jump down and get into another fight.

...And that is what they just did.

"Jump!" ordered Hiccup. Almost immediately the four jumped off from Toothless, falling downwards toward the flagship from about twenty five feet. Toothless too went hurling downwards, landing with them onto the center deck with their weapons already unsheathed and drawn, gripped outwards towards the enemy that stood before them.

Olaf clapped sarcastically in response, laughing at the five who had come to stand against him. His commanders and elite bodyguards also chuckled, giving out evil grins and expressions from their faces.

"At long last…" said Olaf, slowly walking forward with the snow falling against them from the wintry sky. "After so much raiding and time passing, we meet again at last, Slave."

Hiccup growled gutturally towards the Viking. "Who said I am still you slave?" he asked. "Who you stand before is the son of a Chieftain who commands the mightiest and strongest Tribe in the Archipelago. Look around you, Olaf. Your army is falling apart just from fighting a single Dragon and an island of strong people."

"That's General Olaf to you, boy. For I am no longer some filthy slavemaster rotting away in the dungeons looking over the pathetic lives of thralls. I have REAL command now, and there is nothing you can do to stop us!"

"We already have stopped you enough, General." said Magnus, stepping forward. "Though I have seen from my dreams all that your "King" Ivar has to dispose at his command, that will not stop us from fighting you. Already, I have found a way through means of unity. Something you and your Clans and Tribes lack."

"Hmm… that explains how you were able to do… this." Olaf pointed out towards the Dragons that flew above, continuously bombarding his fleet.

"Aye. That is." nodded Hiccup, taking a step forward towards a barrel of oil as he unsheathed his blade and held it near his right shoulder with both hands. With a mighty swing he was able to penetrate the entirety of his blade into the barrel and coat it in the liquidy substance.

He then turned towards Toothless and said; "Light it up, bud."

The Dragon warbled, knowing exactly what Hiccup's coated blade would do now, and with a light plasma blast, the entirety of Hiccup's blade was set aflame in orange Dragon fire.

Hiccup spun his blade from the blue hilt, repositioning it by his shoulder - but not to where the hot burning metal was touching him. His glance then fell upon the intrigued Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus' who eyed Hiccup's sword with shaking thoughts.

Taking another step forward, Hiccup cracked the bones around his neck like cracking a knuckle, glaring down Olaf for what seemed to have been a couple of minutes. Then, after much thinking, a grin fixed upon the young lad's face as he said to the former Slavemaster. "Make your move, wretch."

Olaf roared, running towards Hiccup, pushing his bodyguards commanders out the way with his blade remaining sheathed and gripped tightly. Hiccup too responded by charging Olaf, now having the skill and movement in being able to take on the stronger yet slower and less mobile foe.

And then… both Vikings clashed with one another, holding their blades into a weapon-lock.

Though Hiccup couldn't hold it, his glance did fall on Magnus, Astrid, and Eira as he told them; "Go for the commanders! Take them out!"

His words too caught the attention of the enemy commanders who eyed the three Vikings that had begun to charge them, and so they rushed into the fight as well, and from there a fight against the leaders had begun.

Olaf gnarled. "You were foolish to have come here, Hiccup! After everything, you think you can kill me!? You will pay your actions with your life!" He then bellowed out a roar, attempting to strike at Hiccup with his brutal and unmatched strength compared to the younger Viking. However, Hiccup was more intelligent on acting out his move.

He immediately broke the weapon lock with Olaf, and with his mobility he rolled around and behind the larger Viking, striking his fiery blade at his foe's metallic chest armor and leg armor on the right, melting it with flames and denting it with the more superior metal from his blade.

The cut however was deep enough on it's own to where the General's flesh beneath the armor on his right leg became seared, and his gave out a loud gasping grunt of pain.

"Foolish little boy! Now I'm definitely going to give you Hel for striking your former slavemaster!"

"You were never my master to begin with, Olaf. Just a puppet like me!" taunted Hiccup, recoiling Olaf's blow as he struck from above in an attempt to cleave at Hiccup's head. The black iron warblade flung back against Olaf's shoulder, impacting and breaking one of the latches that kept his chest plate together.

"Gargh! How do you keep DOING THIS!?" he shouted, backing up from Hiccup as he began sending forth a fan of slices and dices against Hiccup, only to be met with parries and dodges from the young Viking, followed by counter attacks.

"Do you not understand that you hardly have any experience, Olaf?" Hiccup questioned, recoiling and blocking another attack. "There's more than what meets the eye to what you're doing, and you can't even see it! As I said, you're just a puppet like me!"

"Hah! How can _you_ prove anything you're saying, wretch!?"

"Because my experience on this island has given me much to prove! Do you not understand that Ivar knew you'd be a bad leader? He only chose you as a General to test you and see which commander would have been there to replace you. But it's clear to me that no one will replace you, and nor will you keep your title! Your _King_ has underestimated the army of Berk. Today, your invasion will END!"

His last word came out as a grunt as he raised his fiery blade and aimed for the right side of Olaf's chest, near his right shoulder, and was then that his chest plate had fallen to the deck of the ship, leaving him vulnerable as all he wore was a black padded gambeson vest.

Olaf looked back at Hiccup. "HOW DARE YOU!" he bellowed loudly, causing him to become enraged as both he and Hiccup struck at each other at the same time once more. This time, both of them took their own hits, with Olaf getting his left leg seared and Hiccup getting brutally punched back in the face by the Völsung General's large fist.

He went flying back a couple of feet as a result, landing flat on the deck on his back where Olaf would then rush up and begin beating him to a pulp.

And that is just what he did. He approached Hiccup without his warblade, more eager to giving him a torturous death rather than a quick and clean one, and he placed his large boot onto the lad's scrawny arm before he began to repeatedly punch him.

"YOU, INSULT, MY POSITION! MY TITLE!? I AM THE RIGHT HAND OF KING IVAR LOTHBRÖK. HE CHOSE _ME_ FOR A REASON! FOR YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING NOTHING BUT PICKING, UP, YOUR, FILTHY, PIECES! YOU HAVE FAILED, VIKING, AND NOW I SHALL GIVE YOU A SLOW DEATH THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER FOR ETERNITY IN HELHEIM!"

Hiccup screamed and gasped at every punch and blow he took. Blood began coming out of his nose and mouth, covering his face, and bruises started to spread his fragile body. The pain was so much, he could hardly do anything. And so without any other options left for him, Hiccup did the one thing he could only do there and then.

"ASTRID! MAGNUS! EIRA!" he cried, screaming at the top of his lungs, attempting to catch their attention.

Astrid turned to face Hiccup after pulling her axe out of the skull of the dead Iron Wolf commander, and her eyes widened with horror. "Hiccup..." she gasped… but it was then that her horror quickly rose into anger, before it rose into hatred and then into the instinct of execution.

She spun her axe around in circles. "GRAAAGH!" she let out, feeling her eyes fill up with bloodlust as she charged at the Völsung General with full speed and haste. Her axe was gripped tightly in both hands, and her legs moved faster than that of a full speeding Yak stampede. Once she was a few feet away, she jumped up into the air to bring her axe down upon the Viking and…

Suddenly however, she was caught before she could land a strike. Olaf held her by the throat, squeezing her tightly with just his left hand against her. He then gave a glare of disgust towards her.

"You filthy little Berkian wretch" he spat at her. "Did you really think you could pick a fight against me, after all your weak friend here has suffered? Now you will be the next to join him! I will surely enjoy doing things that neither of you could've ever imagined- AGH!"

He screamed in pain as the sound of metal going through flesh suddenly hit his senses. Hiccup and Astrid looked down at Olaf's chest, revealing a long sword going straight through the former Slavemaster, and now the soon to be former General's chest. Olaf dropped his warblade and Astrid to the deck, backing up two steps before falling to his knees.

As he dropped Astrid, Hiccup stood up, free from the General's grasp - and despite all of the pain in his body, he rushed over to catch his best friend who seemed breathless from Olaf's grip, landing his right arm against her back as he caught her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, with blood stains still covering his face.

She slowly nodded, almost breathless from the strangulation. "Yes… I'm fine." she sighed, raising her hand upwards slowly towards Hiccup, only for the young lad to surprisingly find her hand reaching his face which sent a feeling down his stomach and his senses. He then grasped her hand with his own lightly before helping her up.

As the two stood up to their feet, they looked over at Olaf who knelt down on his knees. He was almost lifeless, but still alive and dying nonetheless. Glancing at the bloody blade that was stabbed through Olaf, it was then unsheathed out of his gruesome wound, and long and behold before the two young Vikings, Magnus stood there with an expression of anger on his face whilst he eyed the dying Viking he had stabbed.

"That, was for my father, monster." he said, lifting his leg before kicking the now lifeless corpse of Olaf over. Despite all that Hiccup had endured, after all of his years of torture, he had finally gotten revenge on his former tormenter even though the killing blow was not his.

Magnus then added on, "Enjoy your time in Valhalla, wretch. You died in battle... so be grateful." before he then glanced over to Hiccup and Astrid who looked severely wounded and exhausted.

He then ran over to them, placing his hands on one of their shoulders to give the two some comfort. "Are you alright?" he asked, receiving two slow and weak nods from both of them.

"We have to get off of this ship." said Astrid. "Even with those war machines no longer operational, we must destroy it to prevent the enemy from escaping, otherwise Ivar will receive word back and attempt to launch another voyage against us."

"Aye." said Magnus, agreeing with the young lass. "But before we do that, we must-" His eyes suddenly widened as he took a step back, glancing around the area. "Wait, where's Eira!? EIRA!"

Calling out for her name, he soon heard the sound of fighting as he noticed three bodyguards pinning down on her. It seemed that even with all of the commanders dead and the enemy Clans and Tribes scattered they were not willing to go down without a fight.

What made Magnus fear for her however was that the three Heathens were backing her up towards the edge of the ship.

"EIRA!" he screamed for her, running towards the three bodyguards with his weapon drawn and ready to put and end to them.

Hiccup persisted as well to join into the fight as he reached over to grab his sword which was now lit out of its flame. But as he did grab it, Astrid grasped his hand and shook her head.

By the time Magnus was just about a few feet away from Eira, it seemed as if it was too late. With the base of a spear, the centered bodyguard shoved Eira down into the ocean with her voice screaming out for Magnus.

The Viking stopped running. His eyes widened with worry and negativity as he watched his closest friend fall into the sea.

"NO!" he screamed, raising his blade to his right shoulder before bringing it around in a mighty swing, and with that one swing he was able to decapitate all three of the bodyguards. He then sheathed his blade, disregarding what was going on around him as he dived into the ocean.

The water soon met his face, bracing for impact upon going underwater. He looked around to find his friend, glancing at every spot he could see, and to his luck he saw the feminine figure and hood of his friend sinking downwards.

Magnus swam towards Eira, waving his arms back and forth to get closer and closer to his friend who was on the verge of drowning. Eventually, he was indeed able to reach her, and quickly he had grabbed ahold of her with both his arms before attempting to swim up to the surface…

But she was too heavy to bring up.

Suddenly, he began to feel water fill up inside him as a few air bubbles escaped his mouth, and his vision began to blur to black from the sensation that he wasn't going to make it. The dreaded ocean water was too much for him…

As all hope seemed lost, a new figure soon found him. From above, a black winged figure came diving into the ocean at full speed, and with heavy strength he felt something pick him and Eira up.

The waters rushed passed his face, and once more he would be met with the sun of the day hitting his face from behind the clouds as the chilling winds hit him. He looked up towards the flying figure and saw Toothless giving him a Dragon-like smile with Hiccup and Astrid mounted atop the mighty creature.

"You saved us… Thank you!" he said before they flew off once again towards the village of Berk.

Back at Stoick's position, the entirety of the enemy was now routed. The dead of their foes littered the area, and compared to their own casualties, the Hooligans and Berserkers had only lost a hundred in total compared to them killing more than half the invasion force.

And as Hiccup flew towards his father who eyed him with relief and pride, he looked back out to sea where the sounding of multiple horns could be heard. In the distance, longships wearing the colors and crests of four different Tribes began to pummel down their wrath onto what remained of the Great Army's invasion fleet that was formerly commanded by Olaf.

Outnumbered and outmatched, the enemy was unable to retreat to sail back to Kattegat, and what remained of them was soon met with fiery boulders before being washed away by the oceans.

As for the iron flagship, the Dragons had done their work and had gone all out onto it. Hiccup could see now that the four Dragons were a Gronckle, a Deadly Nadder, a Monstrous Nightmare, and a Zippleback. With their combined effort, the large ship was set ablaze into flames along with the Devastators before it slowly started to sink into the ocean.

The Dragons, satisfied with their work, flew up and passed Hiccup, heading towards the forests of Berk.

As for Hiccup, in his mind. One word echoed inside of him.

"Victory…"


	28. After The Firestorm

**Right! Before starting, my sincere apologies for me being away for a week! I had to take a break and get my stuff together as life was kinda getting down on my shoulders, so the past week had been me working on School and etc. (There will also be two, but not big time jumps this chapter.)**

 **Secondly, to those who question the tolerance for Toothless from Berk from here on out, to clear things up; Toothless aided Hiccup, and saved Magnus and Eira, and by whole he helped Berk. So because of that, you can expect some heavy tolerance from Stoick.**

 **Now, I say we finally continue on from where we left off. Let's begin, shall we?**

* * *

A day passed without much reaction from Hiccup or the others. The dead of Berk's warriors and its allies had once filled the streets of the town, and in less than a day's time the bodies were given proper Viking funerals - either buried with belongings or burnt in a longship in the dark of the night.

Were not for the Outcasts, Meatheads, or Bog-Burglars that came to their aid, Berk would have perished as news would have been brought to Ivar which could have led to second invasion...

Regardless to Hiccup though, one thing still itched him. Bothered him… After the siege ended in victory, Hiccup and Stoick had a talk together alone in their hut, sitting together side by side, like father and like son.

Not only that, but the conversation still filled his mind as he stood at the edge of the cliff with his Night Fury and friend sitting next to him on all fours, along with his father on his right flank.

"I trust you on the matter that these creatures are tameable and able to be bonded." Stoick sighed, relating back to the conversation as he looked at his son without disappointment. "I spared your Dragon friend because it- ...he helped you, and he saved Magnus and Eira from drowning."

Hiccup's brow arched a bit. "You saw that?"

"Aye, from afar when I was fighting." he replied, nodding his head. "I saw the whole thing. I saw how he covered you when you were fighting, and how he gave you support. I saw how he lunged into the ocean with you and Astrid riding on his back, bravely."

He then gave out a slow chuckle. "Hehe… reminds me of your mother and I when we were younger. We were both always up to no good, and we fought a lot against our enemies. Ah… those were one of the good days."

The thought of Hiccup's mother was soon to make the young lad question in his mind about her. What was she like? What was her name? Where she did go off to? And is she truly dead as the villagers said about her?

...He had to know eventually. He would know.

As Stoick finished speaking, he let out a deep sigh and once more patted Hiccup on the shoulder.

"I'll see to it that the other tribes that assisted us yesterday are settled in. Even if they didn't do much, they still did Berk and the Archipelago Vikings as a whole proud. This is a victory we will surely celebrate tonight. I'd also recommend that you tread carefully with… Toothless. Some of the folk are still uncomfortable of having a Dragon in our midst, but I assure you that their minds will change in due time."

"Hmm… maybe I should go talk Astrid and the others about what's to come next?" asked Hiccup.

"If you want." Stoick responded to his son. "Though go easy on Magnus and Eira when speaking to them. Those two have had a rough night last night after the battle and they need to rest from their injuries. Eira especially since she's been blacked out ever since."

"I can only assume Magnus is watching over her?"

Stoick nodded. "Aye… but regardless, I'd better leave you to it." he said, before eventually turning his back from Hiccup and Toothless, and walking off into the other direction - towards the Great Hall.

As he walked however, he said to himself, loud enough for Hiccup and the Dragon to hear; "Those two have been getting closer together ever since they got here. Hmph, almost like a bond…"

Those words made the young Viking and Dragon eye each other with curiosity. It was true. They were noticing a strange relation going on with both Magnus and Eira, so to Hiccup… perhaps their friendship was going beyond friendship?

"Gah… alright." Hiccup said, shaking his head to get back to his senses as he continued to stare at Toothless.

"Right. First we'll need to find Astrid and the others, along with Snotlout and Heather. I'm sure they're in the Arena…"

Toothless gave a crooning noise of agreement to the young man, turning his side to face him and lowering his wings for Hiccup, all before he warbled and motioned his head towards his back, telling him; _"Get on."_

…

* * *

Astrid leaned against the stone walls of the Arena, with her back arched and her foot lifted up against it, arms crossed. "So… was that a fight or what?" she asked Hiccup, grinning.

"Uh- yeah. That it was." he replied calmly. "Though I doubt that is the last we'll see of Ivar and his Great Army. Even with Olaf dead and a chunk of his forces slain, I don't think it's over."

"And thus I must ask; how can that be?" asked Snotlout, sheathing his sword after testing out his abilities in the air. "We've defeated Ivar's quote on quote "greatest" general. We've shown him that the might of Berk and the other Tribes cannot so easily be broken. I don't think he'll ever know of what transpired here. All of his ships sunk after all."

A small smile then began to spread across his face, knowing he was testing the son of the Chief. "Or is there is something on your mind, Hiccup?"

Hiccup nodded. "What I'm saying is that though _Olaf_ is defeated, being too passive and calming after the storm will not do us any good. Eventually Ivar will become curious and will send out his entire army to wash over us. Even with the reinforcements that came at the very last moment, we still wouldn't stand a chance in this condition."

Snotlout lightly chuckled. "Now you're thinking like an Heir."

"Heh. C'mon, not even _with_ your Dragon?" asked Tuffnut as he carefully approached the Night Fury that was eyeing him. "I mean, he killed hundreds of those Heathen raiders. I mean, he looks so…"

Tuffnut stared at the Black Dragon for a long moment, with Toothless looking down at the strange Viking who eyed him. He showed no aggression to the Human, but his eyes were widened with an expression that showed he questioned Tuff's behavior.

"I mean, just look at him. He's so…" He paused for a moment, looking down at Toothless' paws. With a test he lifted one of them up and examined it. And just as he was able to say something, Ruffnut came from behind and began dragging on his helmet.

"OUCH! OWOWOWOWOW!" he freaked out, overreacting.

"Oh calm down, will you? You're being a creep, Tuff!" she gestured at him, all the meanwhile Toothless kept his paw lifted as he looked at it. _'What the heck?'_ was what he thought in his head.

Astrid sighed, shaking her head. "Vikings aren't all that we're going to go against, Tuff." she responded, taking a few steps forward. "When Hiccup and I fought, we encountered more than several Tribes and Clans that were not of Vikings. If I stand correct, this relates to the list that Magnus gave to Stoick on who Ivar wanted to recruit."

"Yes…" agreed Hiccup. "And if all twenty of those Clans and Tribes were to come at us, then their full might would be our end."

"Exactly… So then," began Snotlout, walking closer towards Hiccup. "Now that you have been able to identify furtherly on what kind of force we are dealing with aside with what we've just faced, what would you think as an Heir would be the best course of action?"

Hiccup thought about this for a moment, rubbing his hand against the small stubbles that were across his chin. He knew a proper defense would do no good, even with just one or five Dragons. Over three thousand of their enemies were slain, and yet thousands more still remained across the ocean. So, if he and the others were to do a proper response to the enemy…

"Then a proper response would be a good offense as our defense."

All eyes except for Snotlout's widened. They stared at him with surprised looks on what the Hel he was thinking. "Are you implying that we should go straight into the heart of Ivar's kingdom and INVADE _him_?" asked Fishlegs, receiving a nod from Hiccup.

"We can't sit around forever while Ivar builds up more forces." he told Fishlegs. "Those Devastators especially - they are a work of deadly force and are beyond what we could have ever managed to build. If Ivar could mass-produce them and go beyond that to making more vile creations, what chance would we have?"

Astrid then asked Hiccup, somewhat hestantly; "...Are you suggesting we give them the art of surprise?" Once more, Hiccup gave another 'yes.'

"If they don't see us coming whilst they're marshalling and getting ready to conquer just like they did with England, we can deal a heavy blow against them and have an advantage. We need to strike them where it hurts."

"Uh, and how do you suppose we do that?" asked Ruffnut. "You're the one with the Dragon, we don't have any other Dragons-"

"Actually we do." he interrupted, crossing his arms with a smirk. "When Toothless' roar attracted those four Dragons to come to our aid, they helped destroy the enemy armada before they flew into a single direction."

His finger then pointed up towards the air before his hand spun in a circle as his arm rotated towards the forests of Berk. "And if they're still out there, you guys are going to need them."

"Us?" asked Astrid.

"Yes, _you_ guys." he repeated. "One Dragon and his rider alone cannot best Ivar. But maybe more than one can."

Silencing took over the Arena as the gang eyed Hiccup with expressions of; 'Is he insane, or what?' And, of course, the young lad indeed was.

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Fishlegs.

Hiccup walked closer to the group, making his way towards Toothless as he stood right by the mighty beast. "Bring nothing but yourselves, guys, and get ready in a several days." he said. "Soon, you're going to learn from me; How to train your Dragon."

"Now that, is a plan." complemented Snotlout.

…

* * *

 _ **4 days later…**_

Ivar eyed the stranger that stood before him and the four other High Chieftains with disbelief. Though the man had visited him days before, he was not in the best mood after hearing the news that was just handed over to him.

"What do you mean my invasion force was defeated? How!?" the young Chieftain demanded.

"My scouts and I saw the whole thing from afar, Ivar." the stranger replied. "It seemed that your enemies are in the possession of Dragons as well, just as we are."

"Impossible!" he replied. "You assured me that only you and your master can control the Dragons."

The hooded strange nodded. "He can, but only if a Dragon comes into contact with him. Only then will the beast submit to it's true master."

Ivar gave out a sigh. "...So then, there was more than one of these... riders?" he asked.

The brown cloaked and hooded stranger shook his head. "There was only one Dragon rider that we were able to spot from the distance, but the other Dragons seemed to have been assisting the Black Dragon that they circled around, along with its rider. It seems that whoever this rider was though, they are a potential threat to both you and my master… especially my master."

Ivar's brows arched in intriguement. "You think one simple rider can be a threat to you and _your_ army of Vikings? Of those from the lands beyond that which we've conquered?"

"Indeed." the hooded man replied. "Though let's be reasonable. If you and him were to fight against each other, you'd both come out without a victor, and this is why my master is interested in looking towards friendly terms with you."

The young son of Lothbrök remained silent for a moment, fisting his lower chin as he laid his elbow upon the arm of his throne. He thought for a moment, thinking slowly and deeply on the matter. Afterwards, he then looked and turned towards the Chieftains that were standing right by him and he waved his hand in a motion. "Leave us."

The four Chieftains of the Iron Wolf, Bloody Berserkers, Dark Eye, and Broken Axe then saluted Ivar as they marched out of the Great Hall, with their loyal bodyguards assisting them at their sides. Once he and the stranger were alone, Ivar gave a nod at the man.

He leaned forward. "What's this all about?" he asked. "Why does he want to ally with a force beyond his reckoning?"

The stranger gave a smile across his face. "Your invasion force has shown much beyond his expectations. The Dragon Trappers who had manned a large fortress near a fjord to the Northwest of Norway were exiled from his army or executed after the news was brought that they were easily overwhelmed by your armada. Plus, you released all of the Dragons."

Ivar scoffed. "And why is it that you and your master don't just bring your full force upon me if I attacked and destroyed something that belonged to him and his faction?"

"Because that is not his intention." he replied. "As I told you before. If you were to go to war with us, and he were to go to war with you, then neither of us would win and we would end up destroying each other."

"So then what does your master see me as? Someone inferior who he thinks he can control as well?"

He shook his head at Ivar. "My master sees you as an equal who is worthy enough of teaching you his secrets. He believes that if you - and his faction, our army, were to ally together, nothing would stand in our way… not even the Dragons or their _renegade_ riders."

"I see… and what would your master teach me?" questioned Ivar, leaning in closer in interest.

"Well," the cloaked man chuckled. "That is for you to find out between you and him. Already he is waiting outside these doors, ready to give you an audience. Give the command, and I will tell him that you are ready to see him."

Ivar let out a sigh, bobbing his head side to side on the thought which led to him nodding his head. "Very well then. Let him enter, Krogan."

The man nodded his head back, walking towards the two double doors of the Great Hall as he swung them opened wide and swift, and in came from outside the Hall a black-cloaked man who was large than Krogan, though not intimidating to Ivar.

The young Lothbrök gave a nod at Krogan's master as the buff and paled man looked at Ivar, greeting himself to the young and powerful King with a calm and soft voice, both bowing their heads.

"Greetings, Ivar…"


	29. Planning It Out

**Hello all! Before starting this chapter there's something I'd like to say, though it's not much.**

 **Firstly, if you've read the previous chapter - I'm going to say this now; yes, Drago Bludvist will be present in this story! But not for the majority of it.**

 **Secondly, a thank you to everyone for helping this story reach another milestone! We stand right now at 30,000 views, and all I can say is "Holy Crap!"**

 **Thirdly, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far!**

 **Now, let's get right into the story without further delay!**

* * *

Eira laid in bed, blinking her eyes as the light of the cold morning hit her vision. She felt herself slowly regaining strength, and as she looked up she saw a familiar figure sitting at one of the edges of the bed.

It was Magnus.

"Magnus?" she spoke, her voice groaning, and he nodded back at her.

She slowly sat up, leaned back against the pillow. "Magnus... what happened? All I remember during the battle was I was fighting. Then I felt myself fall and- agh!"

A small nerve of pain suddenly struck her right arm, and she grasped it with her left arm as she curled her legs up for a comfortable position. In response, Magnus leaned over and placed both his hands on her shoulders.

"Relax, Eira." he said. "You and I nearly drowned during the battle - and were it not for Hiccup and Toothless, we wouldn't be here. But your injuries require some tending, you are pretty bashed up with bruises."

The young lass sighed, shaking her head. "I was a fool to think ahead of my actions." she said to him. "I tried taking on more than I could chew, and in the end I was cornered at the edge of the ship by three Vikings… I not only nearly risked my life, but also yours. I shouldn't have fought without you by my side. I-"

"Eira." he interrupted, very lightly shaking her shoulders. "It's not your fault that the both of us drowned. I offered my life to save you, and you fought valiantly like how a true Viking should have been. We showed the enemy that we cannot easily be broken, and you applied to that."

"But when I was cornered…?"

"That was merely by the heathens' luck that they were able to corner such a great warrior like yourself. But I assure you that if it ever happens again, I'll be there to help you out."

With a sigh of relief, Eira placed one of her hands against Magnus' hand of which was laid resting on her right shoulder. She then looked up at him and smiled.

Magnus grinned as well with a light chuckle. "See? That's the Eira I know." he said with a confident tone.

Eira lightly chuckled as well, before her head gently lowered down to face her curled up legs as something came up on her mind. She looked up at Magnus and opened her mouth. "Did we win?" she asked him.

"Aye. And it was a Heroic Victory." he told her. "At the last moment, dozens of longships approached from the sea carrying ten warriors per ship. At first we didn't know who they were; but when their horns blew and their colors raised up, we knew right away that they were allies. They launched fire over our enemy, as well as at those who tried to flee for Kattegat, and as a result - not one of our foes came out of that battle alive."

"And what about Olaf?" she asked him.

"...He's dead." he responded in a more serious tone. "I killed him as payback for not just what he did to Hiccup, but as well for what he did to my father… but that is a story for another time."

"Mmm…" she nodded in agreement, resting her head against the pillow and laying back a bit more. However, as she stared back at Magnus, looking into his eyes, she couldn't bother taking her eyes of his as she wanted to tell him something.

And so, she straightened her back and head up and said; "Hey Magnus?"

"Yes, Eira?"

"Can… can you come closer?"

Magnus arched one of his brows, but did as she asked of him, sitting about three feet away from her. "Yes?" he asked once more.

She then said, with an exhale of air. "...Can I tell you a secret?"

…

* * *

"Alright gang, listen up!" announced Hiccup, pacing back and forth as he eyed his five friends. "Today you're going to take what I told you about Dragons, and apply it to the one you find! Today is the day that you do what I taught you and to finally train your Dragon."

"Sweet! I hope mine will be able to do huge explosions!" cheered Tuff, earning a light glare from Astrid.

"Tuffnut, this isn't about finding the Dragon who does the biggest explosion. It's about finding the Dragon that matches your style and can become you friend."

"And that's why I wrote down what Dragons you guys are going to go after and bond with." added on Hiccup. "First off starting with you, Astrid. Knowing you're an agile warrior and one who's more physical and smart in finding advantages, your Dragon will be the Deadly Nadder."

"Sounds great to me."

"Snotlout." he continued. "Knowing that you are one that likes to get in on the action while having strategy, strength, and momentum by your side which results in serious damage, your Dragon will be the Monstrous Nightmare."

"Sweet!" he said. "But let's hope it doesn't burn me alive."

Hiccup chuckled. "It won't as long as you approach it in a friendly manner. Now, Fishlegs. Being as intelligent as an elder and as strong and mighty as a Viking like Gobber, I think your Dragon will be the most fitting to you… You're going to tame a Gronckle."

"Interesting." nodded Fishlegs. "I'd be intrigued to see the amount of strength and intelligence that this boulder type Dragon has so I can fight as one with it. The firepower however, I know already."

"Alrighty..." he said softly. "Now! This leads me down to the last Dragon… Ruffnut and Tuffnut, you guys will get to share a Dragon. Specifically a Dragon with two heads - and that ought to be the Zippleback."

"Sweet!" chuckled Ruffnut. "Two heads-"

"-Twice the explosion!" added on Tuffnut.

"You've just read my mind, brother." smirked Ruffnut as the two of them gave each other a high five.

"Aye. But just remember that one of them will release the gas, and the other will ignite it into fire. So pick your head wisely, or else it might lead into some disagreement between you two."

"Alright." the two twins said in agreement.

"Well then… if there's nothing else for me to say, I'd say that you guys ought to be on your way. Now remember, search as much of the forest as you can, and use your brain to think about where a proper habitat of where your Dragon lingers would be at. And remember! Stay calm and all will be fine, alright?"

The group gave nods and gestures of understanding Hiccup's words to him, and they all left without a word - no weapons, traps, or anything in their hands. Only satchels filled with what they needed for the Dragons.

As Astrid was leaving however, Hiccup walked forward and placed his hand on her right shoulder from behind, immediately stopping her as she tilted her head towards him. Hiccup then responded with:

"Be safe, Astrid."

The young Hofferson smiled, nodding her head at Hiccup. "I will." she replied, grasping onto his hand for a short moment before she continued on her way. And as she left, Hiccup couldn't take his eyes off her.

As everyone soon left the Arena however, leaving Hiccup and Toothless alone, another figure came into place from the distance. It was a familiar figure wearing furred and mail-metal Viking armor with a large white wolf's hide as his cloak, and underneath the chest plate was a visible sky-blue shirt. Obviously to Hiccup, it was Magnus.

Hiccup's eyes however, widened. "Where did you get all of that gear? You look a lot like the Scandinavian Vikings, only…"

"Only I'm wearing less armor than they wore and I am wearing Berkian clothing underneath my chest plate and legging plate. How do I look?" he asked.

"You look like a real warrior, I must admit. Especially with the cloak." replied Hiccup, earning a chuckle from the older Viking.

"Well, it was thanks to a tailor that I was able to obtain this cloak. The wolf hide was looted off some of the corpses of our enemies and it was sewed into one good sizeable cloak, only without the head of the wolf."

"I see… and are you going to wear a helmet?"

"Maybe. Though I don't want to be confused for a Scandinavian. However, that's not the point of why I came here."

Hiccup immediately arched a brow and looked at Magnus with confusion. "Then why are you here?"

Magnus cleared his throat. "I've been sent by your father to come and get you. The Council and him, along with I and the other Chieftains, have made a decision after you requested Snotlout to give the idea about invading Norway. And we've finally come to an agreement."

"So then," started Hiccup. "What did you guys all say?"

…

* * *

"When the hour soon comes, we will go and sail to war." Stoick announced to both Hiccup and Magnus, as well as to the others that sat near him and around him at the large round table. "We've all endured enough damage by the massive enemy invading force, and our islands as a result lay in ruin, battered and nearly lifeless. But now together, as one _alliance_ , we have a better chance to stand up against Ivar and his Great Viking Army. We WILL invade Norway!"

The members around the table cheered to Stoick, but another voice spoke up. "Don' be so confident, Stoick." said Gobber. "Ya remembered what Magnus told ye. Ivar an' his numbers are far great'ar than what we faced 'ere, o' what we faced b'fore. 'E still 'as thousands at his command."

"Tens of thousands." corrected Magnus. "Each Tribe and Clan Ivar called to his side carry a thousand warriors with them, whilst the main Clans, the Iron Wolf, the Bloody Berserkers, the Dark Eye, and the Broken Axe - will likely call for reinforcements of a thousand more. Each of them will."

"Those five Clans will fully replenish their numbers from those we killed here days ago, plus giving them a boost of a couple thousand more men."

Spitelout slammed his hand on the table. "Then that means we're heavily outnumbered thirty to one! We only have about over eight hundred warriors with us, yet still that bastard Ivar will have over twenty two thousand under his command!"

"Heavily? ...Not necessarily." responded Magnus, shaking his head. "There's something more that we must remember: Olaf when he was alive had kept multitudes of slaves imprisoned of whom had come from all across the islands of the Archipelago to work on powering Ivar's mighty war machine. Letters that I found off one of the corpses of the overseers show that even other Tribes outside the fogbank have been enslaved under Ivar's will as well."

"There's more outside the Fogbank then?" asked Stoick.

"Indeed, Chieftain." answered Magnus. "Moving on however. The letters give details that Olaf held up all of the enslaved Tribes of the Archipelago which he could find on an island that is found towards the South, miles and miles away near a fjord that goes Southeast. They call it Black Rock Isle. This island is a prison fortress which holds a large stronghold, a fortified barracks, an iron mine, and a fighting arena. HOWEVER: Nearly ONE thousand thralls and several hundred prisoners are held up there. And the thralls consist of all warriors, the letters say- and if this is true…"

"We may have enough men to forge a fighting force that can stand their ground strategically and outsmart Ivar." answered Sven, earning a nod from Magnus.

"Exactly… but there's a problem about getting to this island, or even getting onto shore."

"Oh?" responded Stoick.

"You see, Chief, though this island has only two hundred Scandinavian Vikings guarding it and operating it, it is also guarded by large and well-defended towers made out of iron and wood that are armed with a long-ranged catapults, and those materials are what every structure on this isle are made out of. Plus, two major iron cog ships guard around the island... apparently armed with Devastators?"

"Ah great! They made more o' those buggers!" sighed Gobber.

Magnus too sighed with an exhale. "That's not the worst part." he said to Gobber. "Apparently it says here in this note that Ivar was also able to transport a new deadly weapon created by the Iron Wolf Clan, the same Clan that made the Devastators. This letter describes them as an arrow killing machine, and a dozen are armed along the walls of the prison fortress…"

"...And if that's the case, we'll need to plan out a strategy." replied Stoick as he stood from his seat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I request that you all take a recess for the rest of the day. The War Council and I along with Magnus have much discussing to do, and we need to be left alone for concentration…"

"As ye wish, Stoick." nodded Alvin, Chieftain of the Outcasts.

"Right, I'd betta get my men settled, then." agreed Bertha, the Chieftain of the Bog Burglars.

Stoick bowed his head. "Right then. Dismissed!"

...

* * *

"And you are sure that is all I need to make Dragons my own? A King of Dragons?" asked Ivar as he used his iron plate supports for his leg and his staff to walk over to a nearby long table. He sat down patiently, looking back at Drago who was staring at one of the walls.

"Indeed." he replied softly, turning back to the young Ivar. "As I tell my men time and time again. 'He who controls the alpha controls, them all.' And that is a fact."

"And… your men fear you because of this I assume?" asked Ivar, pointing with his hand.

"My men are loyal to me because of this. They will follow me anywhere I go if I tell them to, and will do what I command them to do." he stated, though his voice remained soft. "And if there are any acts of unloyalty…"

Drago then raised his hand up, making a slicing motion horizontally across the neck. "That will happen."

Ivar nodded his head up and down. "Hm… but do you ever question the loyalty of your men?" he asked the larger Viking. "Consider the fact that you have infidels among your army. Mongolians, Sami, and even Slavs - they do not believe in the one true religion or in the true gods. They're but a waste."

"Ah. But you also have Slavs under your command - do you not?" asked Drago.

"The Slavs I command willingly gave themselves up with their religion and went into Odin's faith. They are called after those who came from Sweden and into Kiev. They're named the Rus'."

Drago nodded his head back at Ivar, now sitting across from him at the table. "And you trust them as much as I would trust my own men?"

"Indeed." responded Ivar with a light chuckle. "And as long as my warriors conquer and win victory for me, my trust will remain in them - as will theirs in me… but still, there is much for me to do against the 'Vikings' of the Archipelago whom to me wear ridiculous clothing. Who in the Hel wears helmets with horns anyways? It's as if they think it's a children's story."

"I don't know, King Ivar." shrugged Drago. "But what I can tell you is that if they think that they can control the Dragons, then they are terribly mistaken. But for you however- ...you may just have the potential to do so. I can sense it."

Ivar gave a face of slight confusion as he shrugged as well, raising his hands in a motion. "Maybe they just think that they can-"

As he was about to continue the doors to the Great Hall suddenly bursted opened with a familiar buff figure wearing black plate and furred armor along with a dark beard. It was the Iron Wolf Chieftain, Vlar.

"My King." he said, making his way forward despite being uninvited. Though to Ivar, it sounded almost important as the Rus' Chieftain moved with haste. Giving off a sigh, he turned to Drago and waved his hand back. "Leave us."

Drago bowed his head, even though he was not under Ivar's servitude, and he began making his way out of the hall, wrapping his cloak around him for protection from the cold wintry snow that fell from outside before closing the hall's doors behind him.

When both Ivar and Vlar were alone, the High Chieftain nodded at the Rus' Viking. "Speak. What news have you come to bring me?" he asked.

"I bring good news from both of my high overseers - with the letters coming from the two locations you named; the Shattered Shore and the Iron Mountains." he began. "I have been informed that the constructions of both the Iron Foundry and the Forgework Harbor is progressing with maximum effort... Soon we will be able to make weapons, siege equipment, and armor at much faster pace. Plus, our siege weapons will advance into more great creations."

"Creations forged from great metals that will be worthy of Odin's dwarves. Indeed." grinned Ivar, nodding in approval. "And what about the Forgework Harbor? What of our fleet?"

"Our ships will be created at a quicker rate, and the metals will become tougher and lighter for our vessels, though all our ships will consist mostly of wood. The production of larger longships will also increase as we will be able to carry more men out in a smaller span of time. With this technology, no one will oppose you."

Ivar, satisfied and fully amused, clapped his hands slowly, and he was in no way being sarcastic either. "Excellent work, Vlar." he said, followed by a chuckle. "I knew you would come out as my best Chieftain out of the others; but like you - they are great as well."

"Indeed." nodded the Iron Wolf. "But what would you have me do now that I've brought this news to you?"

Ivar gave a smile, spreading wide across his face. "How would you like it if I gave you a second role in my Great Army aside from being _just_ a Chieftain?"


	30. Hasty Recovery

**Apologies for the delay once again, everyone! My schedule got mixed up and I was unable to update the next chapter when I wanted to. But now, here it is! So for now, rather than going through further explanation, let's jump right into the next chapter!**

 **Though it is a short one, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Hours passed, and there they were. Hiccup, Magnus and Eira stood by the Blacksmith, each of them discussing about the recent events which had transpired, all after Eira had awoken from her deep sleep from being unconscious and exhausted, but it was a relief that she was now awake and recovered.

"It's good to see you awake and well, Eira." said Hiccup, giving a smile. "Magnus told me that your condition was severe, but it seemed you healed up fast - so that's good to see."

Eira gave a light chuckle. "Thank you, Hiccup. It's good to see familiar faces again as well… but, where are the others? Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of them?"

"Hiccup told me that they had gone off into the wilderness." Magnus replied. "For the days you were out and cold he was teaching the. much about Dragons which you, I, or even anyone had not known about. He had taught them about what they really eat, how they act, and even how to approach them. He taught them how to train a Dragon."

"...Is this true?" she asked, turning her head to the younger and slightly shorter Viking.

"It's true." Hiccup replied. "I taught the gang what it meant to be friendly with Dragons, and how one can go by to training them. I assure you that if this goes by successfully, and without flaw, then Ivar will not see what is coming to him."

Magnus nodded his head slowly. "Indeed." he agreed. "...The first Dragon riders in Norse history will be made and written in stone. Something no one could've ever dreamed about in their very lives."

Hiccup sighed. "Well, we can only hope that everyone learns to agree with the Dragons, because I mean…" He stopped short of his word as he turned his head to Toothless who was attempting to help out a villager who was hulling a cart filled with wood.

The Black Dragon ran in front of the man, blocking his path as the villager slowly began to stop pulling the heavy cart filled with lumber. Toothless would give off a Dragon-like smile as he opened up his mouth to bite down onto one of the handles used to pull the cart, all in an attempt to help the man... but it would not go out the way he intended.

As Toothless eyed the man while attempting to pull it for him the villager made a flickering motion with his hand and gesture him to walk off.

"Bah! Back off, Dragon! I don't need your help!" he responded gutturally to Toothless. "Your kind still disgusts me. You're only going to make things worse for everyone!"

With no other choice, Toothless backed off and released his grip from the cart, lowering his head down a bit as he sat there until the cart rolled by and was out of sight. Was no one going to accept or appreciate his help?

Hiccup noticed this and gave an unnoticeable glare at the man that passed by his Dragon, but his thoughts turned to Toothless as he made his way towards the almost-helpless Dragon, petting him on the head.

"It's okay, Bud." he said, sighing. "I know deep down that there is somewhere in this town where you can help others. I know you're not useless, and I assure you that we'll find a way to make all these people appreciate you for what you've done. Alright?"

His friend's words made him raise his head up a bit, and with a thanks he extended his head forwards towards the young Viking's chest. Hiccup smiled. "See? Don't be so down, Toothless."

"I must admit, that Dragon is possibly worth more help than we could ever think of." Magnus said in the distance. "Toothless is a Night Fury, and I know that a Night Fury is unlike any Dragon that you can ever find. You Hiccup, you were lucky to ever stumble upon this magnificent creature, and because of you we have earned a great ally… stay close to him, and you may just be able to learn his secrets."

Hiccup arched a brow from Magnus' words. "Toothless has secrets? Like, special abilities or something? Things we haven't learned yet?"

"...Maybe. But that's what I heard from a children's story. We Scandinavians never thought Dragons actually existed physically. But now, here they are in front of us… hm, perhaps these stories were written for a reason?"

…

* * *

"Hmm… these tracks look fresh." said Astrid as she knelt down upon seeing the snowy foot tracks of a Dragon. "It seems that this Dragon prefers being in dense forested areas. Though it's nowhere near any of the other environments."

Her hand ran along the edges of the track, feeling the depthness and spacing of it. So far her tracking for the Deadly Nadder had lasted for about three hours, and so far there was little luck. Eventually however, the previous tracks she uncovered were caught in her sights, and though they were fading out she was still able to follow the direction of which they led into.

Once more as Astrid followed the new batch of tracks, she made sure to inspect her surroundings. She found herself in a more widely spaced out forested area, and the air was beginning to pick up a strange but familiar scent.

"Come on, come on… the Nadder has to be somewhere around here." she told herself as a branch soon appeared in her way. She gently placed her hand against it and tried moving it to the side, only for it to come back at her and whack her in the face with a small patch of snow flying against her.

"Agh!" she hissed, placing her hand against her right cheek from the pain, and as she looked back at her palm she saw very small droplets of blood against it. She was bleeding, but it was only a mere scratch.

"Great. I've been scratched by a branch, and-"

She immediately stopped in her words, looking back at what she tried to move to the side. 'Scratched by a branch?' she thought to herself, soon noticing that the branch she tried moving wasn't in fact a branch but rather part of a tree.

Looking further to her right, she could clearly see that a path was made through the woods as trees and bushes were sliced into bits by something sharp, and that made a possible indication of who or what it was.

Following the path that was now visible to her, Astrid made sure that she stepped carefully and inspected what sort of damage there was, and it was at a certain point that something caught her attention.

At the base of a nearby tree, a blue and yellow spike stuck out of it like an arrow - and as Astrid stepped forward and took a closer look she instantly knew what she was looking at, thus she knew what she was following.

"This is a Nadder spike." she told herself. "But if the Deadly Nadder was here - possibly running from something... or someone, where is it?"

Her answer would swiftly be given as a squawking sound caught her attention. Astrid looked to her left and saw the path continuing on down a hill, and as she went down it she finally saw what she was looking for with light mists surrounding it.

It was the Deadly Nadder, specifically one of the Dragons that had assisted Toothless and the people of the Hooligan Tribe during the battle of Berk. However, although Astrid found the Nadder, she did not find it in the way she expected it to be in.

…

* * *

"We'll have a small legion of two hundred storm the beach as our front line, and we'll do it swiftly." began Stoick. "They must consist as shield bearers and shield maidens, those who can take the most amount of enemy fire without falling that easily."

"I'm pretty sure _just_ the Berserkers can provide what we need Stoick." said Spitelout. "Dagur seemed 'eager' to be on the front line with his men last battle, though that bastard nearly cost us. I am sure he can provide all the cover we need to-"

Stoick slammed his hand. "The Berserkers will not go in alone, Spitelout." he responded, interrupting the lad. "Despite what you think about Dagur, you must understand that those old hatreds from long ago have passed away. If we hadn't saved Berserker Island from the infamous Murderous Tribe then we probably wouldn't be here."

"Aye, e's right!" agreed Mulch. "Holding old grudges isn't going ta solve a thing. Plus, remember it wus yer son tha' fought alongside Dagur an' Heather in the Battle o' Fallen Spears! Was it not? I 'em sure ye would at least 'ave tha decency ta respect 'em after yer son was respected by THEM."

"Alright, lads!" exclaimed Gobber, stepping in. "We shouldn't get off tha topic at 'and! All old grudges ar' set aside! Period."

Stoick sighed. " _Thank you,_ Gobber." he said. "...Now, any _other_ suggestions from anyone else if I may ask?"

"Well…" began Sven, raising his hand. "I may have an idea."

He slowly approached the map which Magnus had earlier drawn out from the documents and maps he had looted off the enemy Vikings, and quickly his ideas began to lay out.

"If we all look at the side of the island here where there is a smaller beach head separated by cliffs from the main one, we can see that there is a tower guarding this opening from which it may warn those if enemies approach. As much as we think that our superior numbers can eventually seize the main beach head, using up anything we have won't work."

"But we still have those Dragon buggers. Don't we?" asked Spitelout.

"Remember tha' there's still Devastators guarding tha island on tha main beach an' atop tha iron cog ships. Those things will jus' shoot 'em outta tha sky."

"Aye, he's right." nodded Sven. "Which leads me to my next point. This tower here on the side beach is manned by one Devastator. From what I've seen and heard so far from Magnus when he drew the map, this Devastator is still in repairs... somewhat."

Stoick arched a brow, nodding. "The young lad did describe almost every single bit of detail."

Sven bowed his head at Stoick. "Indeed... So, I say that if we run up this tower without alerting the nearby iron cog ship, we can take the enemy by surprise and use their own weapon against them. Afterwards we can destroy it and leave them heavily weakened from even just one single sneak attack."

Gobber gave a light chuckle. "Sabotagin'! I like it!"

Stoick nodded in agreement. "Indeed. With this information we may yet have chance to not just attack the enemy when they least expect it, but to as well start a fight on two fronts… they won't stand a chance."

Bucket stood up in agreement. "Aye, this will be a worthy battle for my bucket and I, and- uhh… wait, will I fight with my bucket?" he asked, receiving a facepalm from Mulch.

"Bucket, tha thing is on yer bloody 'ead! It doesn't matter!" he said to him.

"Oh… right."

"Right then." said Stoick. "Now that we have a good idea on where to strike, we should consider the fact on deciding when we should strike. I would suggest consulting with Gothi-"

Before being able to finish, the doors to the Great Hall suddenly spun opened with Hiccup, Magnus, and Eira running through. Each of them breathless. Stoick's brows lifted as he ran up to them from the war table, curious to see what they had to say or what news they had to bring to him and the Council.

"Hiccup." he said, approaching his son and placing a hand on the lad's shoulder. "You seem breathless. Has something happened? Do you have something to say?"

"...Dad." he began. "Magnus, Eira, and I were just discussing with one another, and something grabbed our attention out to sea. We've spotted a set of ships off in the distance, and they're coming right towards Berk."

"More of Ivar's warriors?" asked Spitelout, however he received a 'no' from Hiccup when the young Viking shook his head.

"Their colors are unknown, and they fly no crest. Plus, their ship structure is nowhere similar to of what Ivar or his lackeys built, they're too different… but there's- there's something else you should know."

Stoick raised a brow. "Oh?" he asked.

"While our backs were turned and too distracted on the ships, I must've let down my guard on Toothless because he just wandered off, and when I saw his tracks, I followed them and they led into one of the store houses, and- …"

"And?" Stoick asked once again.

"And when I got there…" Hiccup suddenly turned silent. The negative thoughts of his Dragon soon began to hit him. Or, more of what _would_ happen to his Dragon if he didn't act soon.

He then continued with; "Toothless' tracks turned into drag marks before wheels took their place, and multiple pairs of footsteps were found going into the same direction of the trail before they started to fade out… Dad- he's just gone! Someone has taken him, and I swear that whoever it was that took him-"

"Easy, Hiccup!" his father interrupted, placing both his hands on his son's shoulders as his anger and emotions boiled. "Easy now... I tell you this, son, and I promise you this: We will find Toothless... I will find Toothless, one way or another.


	31. An Unexpecting New Ally

**Quick note before beginning, there is a plot-twist in this chapter that might surprise a specific amount of you as one character which most of you know from the HTTYD Franchise willing switches sides. I won't tell who it is or what side it is, but I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, thanks to those who reviewed last chapter!**

* * *

Stoick peered down at the trail from where Toothless previously was, seeing exactly what his son Hiccup had described to him. Multiple pairs of footsteps, a large drag mark, and then nothing - aside the fact that there were wheel trails in their place afterwards.

"Bloody Hel you weren't kidding." said Stoick, stroking his beard. "This storehouse is bashed up, and there's clues all around here. Whoever these people were that took your Dragon, they certainly had no decency at all."

"Aye. It looks like they were in a rush." replied Magnus, pointing out the damage. "A majority of the crates and barrels here seem to be pushed over whilst their steps trail all around the place. Almost like it was a wrestle."

Hiccup nodded his head. "Well, it clearly was." he said. "Taking down a Night Fury is no easy feat, plus- Toothless isn't one to be messed with. He doesn't go down without a fight. You've seen it, we've all seen it."

"Well then we'll have to devise up a plan." responded Eira, stepping in. "These bastards won't get away that easily with taking something that belongs to the Chieftain's son. And they've messed with the wrong people."

"Agreed." replied Stoick as he stood from crouching down to inspect the mess. "Here's the plan: Eira, you will rally Magnus' guard and perform a full search of the village, patrolling left right and center. Magnus, Hiccup, you two will go down to the docks and represent in my absence for the arriving vessels. They ought to be near."

"Aye. But what if they attack us?" asked Magnus.

"Well, if they were to attack us then they would've been launching catapults by now, or made their presence known with their faction colors."

Stoick placed his hands behind his back, making his way out of the storehouse. "Then it's settled. I'll rally the Chieftains and have a discussion with them. We must plan our next course of action soon. Until then, you must do what you must and not slack off. We're in a war after all… now, if I were you all, I'd get to it."

Without another word, the Chief was off, and soon so was Hiccup and Magnus, and then Eira who made her way around to gather the guard.

Hiccup and Magnus however, the two of them discussed in low tones as they made for the docks, wondering what reason there would've been for capturing Toothless if he had saved them all.

"Are you sure he's going to be fine?" asked Hiccup in a low, whispering voice. Magnus looked back at him and gave him a nod and wink of his eye.

"It won't take long before we find them. My guard are among the elite warriors of Berk, and they are trained to track even the most difficult of trails. Toothless _will_ return in one piece, and this I promise you… for now however, let's see what our strange visitors have to say to us."

…

* * *

Down at the docks, dozens of Berkian warriors as well as those from the other Tribes were gathered along the piers, all eyeing the incoming ships that raised the white flag of peace and truce. It seemed they weren't hostile after all, however their presence was still unknown, and their reason for being on Berk was unknown.

"Their ships, now up close, certainly tell us that they're not Ivar's." commented Hiccup, earning a nod from Magnus.

"Aye. But let's just hope we don't make any further enemies that would interfere with our conflict against him. We already have enough on our plate, and a thousand more warriors against us is the last thing we need before we lose this war."

With that being said, the small but leading armed longship with the white flag raised made port in front of Hiccup and Magnus who stood with guards of all Tribes on their flanks, especially with some of Magnus' elite. And as the large plank of wood hit the pier, six warriors begun making their way off the leading longship, and in the center was their leader.

The one who commanded them had black hair, and stood taller than the rest of his men. His hair dropped back into a ponytail, and he had facial hair covering his chin. His outfit consisted of a tan furred vest and a linen shirt along with leather pants and boots, and at his side he had two short swords sheathed.

"That's their leader?" Magnus asked in a low tone. "He seems a bit young."

Hiccup nodded in response, crossing his arms. "Aye, but it looks like he's definitely older than the both of us. We'll just have to wait and see."

As the stranger stepped forward towards Hiccup and Magnus, he gave a deep bow before them with his arms spread out at his side, presenting himself to the two Berkians.

"Greetings." he said to them. "It's a surprise that we managed to meet. Now, before I tell you who I am, I would like to tell you that I come here on neutral standards, and thus you might be wondering why I am here… Well, when I heard about what happened here from one of my scouts who saw the whole thing, about the battle against the army that blasted my fort to bits, I just had to come here. Who knew that you would be the ones to stand up against that great force, especially with _Dragons._ "

"Um, fort?" asked Magnus.

"Aye, my fort." the stranger replied. "My master- ...or well, 'former' master, had me exiled from his ranks for good, along with the execution half of my men as punishment for my failure. Initially he intended on punishing me as well as he told me he would've be less understanding than what he had previously done to me, but I managed to escape behind his back before he could take any real action."

"Failure to do what?" asked Hiccup, arching his brow.

"...Failure to keep our stock of Dragons caged and held for my master. We were formerly-"

"You're Dragon Trappers." angrily responded Hiccup, unsheathing his sword as he stepped forward and gripped it tightly, the thought of spilling blood spread throughout his mind. "What did your spies do with Toothless!?"

The stranger arched a brow. "With who?" he asked with tension, only for Magnus to step in, in between the two as he stuck out his sword to separate them, especially since his blade was closer to Hiccup.

He shook his head at the young lad. "Don't do this, Hiccup. We don't even know if they were his spies - and I highly doubt they were."

"Spies?" the man asked once more. "What are you two talking about? We just arrived here, and this one here is accusing me of spying on-"

"My friend _Hiccup_ here is just tensed up, warrior." interrupted Magnus, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, trying to side track. "He's had a rough day and we've been making many preparations for our next upcoming battle against our enemy which is now your enemy. Plus, I don't think it would be wise to ask him questions whilst he's in this state, Mister…"

"My name is Eret." the man replied. "Eret, son of Eret. One of the finest trappers alive… or well, former I should've said."

Hiccup sighed, sheathing his sword - though he still remained irritated. "Well then, Eret." he said. "Please, tell me why I shouldn't order the guards to arrest you for being a former a trapper, and I want a good reason."

Magnus facepalmed himself. "Hiccup…"

"I no longer having intentions of trapping Dragons." Eret stated, and in a bold expression. "I only trapped Dragons because that was what I was ordered to do. I did it for my survival and for my income of wealth as well as for my men's, and now with my fort blasted to bits and all the Dragons I captured set loose, there isn't a point for me to continue the hunt. I have nothing left except these loyal warriors who followed me wherever I went."

Those words from Eret, though somewhat unbelievable to Hiccup, gave him a sense that perhaps the former Trapper was not lying. His words sounded bold and truthful, and he saw no lying expression from the older Viking's face. As well as considering the poor state that the rest of his warriors were in along with the ships, perhaps he was indeed truthful.

Hiccup, seeing no other option, fully backed off and released his grip from the hilt of his blade. "Then tell me, Eret son Eret." he began, sounding more tolerable. "What is it you want? And why have you come here?"

"...I want to join you in your fight against the Great Viking Army." he told the young Viking with ease. "Your enemy is my enemy, and there is no doubt that my former master has already gone to their side to aid them… or for his own benefit. But regardless, this Great Army is beyond anything I've ever seen; in both manpower and weaponry, and I want revenge for not just what they have caused me to be in, but as well as to give my men and I a chance for survival… this is all I ask of you. When all is set and done, all two hundred of my men will be at your disposal."

"...I see no lie in your words, Eret son of Eret." responded Magnus, glancing at the exhausted warriors that stood on Eret's flanks. "The proof is already shown before us. You and your men are in no state to continue, and definitely not in any form or shape to fight on like this. Please, allow us to tend to you."

Hiccup nodded in agreement as Eret eyed him, now fully tolerating the new ally. "I will be more than willing to help you out; and I'm sure my father - the Chieftain, will be reluctant to tend to your needs... You may signal your men to make port on the empty Western piers. From now on, we're allies in this."

Hiccup stuck out his hand, expressing his acceptance to Eret as he now considered him an ally of Berk. In response, the Viking grabbed ahold of Hiccup's hand firmly and shook. "It's a pleasure to be with you, lads." he told the younger Viking. "I'm glad that we were able to come to an agreement-"

"Magnus, Hiccup!" a young woman's voice called out from behind the ranks, and instantly all of the attention was attracted as Eira came running through towards them, nearly breathless.

She stopped in front of the two, catching her breath before standing up straight and nodding at them. "We found Toothless. He was locked up in a cage; but as of now he is in our possession and freed from clutches. The captors too are as well in our possession." Her tone sounded relieved.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Wow… that was fast." he said. "But is he alright?"

"Toothless is fine." she assured him. "But wait until you ask the bastards who thought it was a good idea about kidnapping him. They're in deep boar crap now…"

…

* * *

"Our influence is beginning to spread widely throughout Norway and Scandinavia, High Chieftain." said Frode of the Dark Eye Clan, glancing at all of the other greater Chieftains as they sat in a circle on their thrones. "Inferior Tribes and Clans are beginning to submit to our indominatable might, and everyday our forces are slowly increasing, yet at a great rate of time."

Ivar chuckled. "All seems to be going excellent." he said. "Soon when all is set and done, we shall move on to conquer other lands that have been out of our grasp, and we will fill our bellies with food and sit on thrones of silver with gold jewels."

"Aye, and it's not only the Scandinavians that are coming from all around to join us." said Karvein, joining in on the conversation. "I've made contact with one of the greatest Germanic Clans found in Northern Germania and they have agreed to join us in our war, though they do not in any sense rival the Bloody Berserkers."

Ivar turned his gaze on Karvein with his brows raised. "I see… and, who are these Barbarians?" he asked, gesturing with his hands before sipping from his mug of mead.

Karvein lightly chuckled in response. "They are called the Saxons, High Chieftain."

Ivar gagged, splurting out the mead from his mouth as he began to cough. "S-Saxons?" he asked, breathing for air. "You mean those heathens and infidels who fought us during the war of England? Those filthy christians-"

"My King." interrupted Vlar, raising his hand up. "With all due respect, if I may speak, Karvein does not refer to the English Anglo-Saxons, but rather the Germanic Saxons. Those who consisted of our ancestors of whom had resided for hundreds of years even before us. They are the reason us Vikings and Rus' even exist."

"Indeed." said the High Seer, and Chieftain of the Dark Eye Clan. "From what I can see from Karvein's words, as well as hear, the barbaric Saxons may yet turn the tide even further in our favor… and yet- it seems the Vikings of the Archipelago are also doing their best to turn the tide in _their_ favor."

Ivar leaned forward in his chair, grasping his hands together. "And what exactly does that mean, Seer?" he asked, though not surprised. "I can only assume from your words that the 'Vikings', these _heathens_ , plan to go for an important target, if I am not mistaken?"

All eyes soon fell upon Ivar with curiosity. Even the High Seer of the Dark Eye Clan grew intrigued as a smile spread wide across his face from beneath the black hood he wore, and he shifted in his seat with his mail armor and robes. "Exactly, son of Lothbrök." he told him, standing from his chair as he walked towards the table in the center of the room; that which had the war map spread out on it.

"If I could guess however," he began, motioning towards the map. "I would say that this pitiful army could strike somewhere that is near Norway, but not quite there. Perhaps a week or so away from us to the Northwest. Perhaps-"

"Perhaps Black Rock Isle. The prison fortress." interrupted Ivar, grinning widely with a devil-like look on his face. He slowly began to drift from his chair, grabbing his walking stick and adjusting his legs as he began to limp himself over towards the war map table, gazing and keeping his eyes on it. "I know they would attack there as the strategic position and containment is of great importance to them."

Hjalmar stood from his throne, joining in on the conversation after much listening. "That is the island where over a thousand prisoners are held, if I am correct High King?" he asked Ivar as he wiped his hand across the flat surface of his prosthetic axe-fist. "It contains prisoners who are slowly being broken by their own emotions and actions…"

"And correct you are, Hjalmar." nodded Ivar, lowering his brows along with his grin. "In this prison fortress, hundreds of the prisoners which we hold consist of the remaining major Tribes we found from all across the Archipelago. About three or five of them I'd say. And not only that; but these specific hundreds are all warriors."

Karvein gave a grunt. "No doubt the Archipelago Vikings and Berk will make way there to free the prisoners and gain nearly a thousand more men. Enough to stand their ground against us."

Ivar shook his head, still his smile remained wide across his face. He then turned to his left and made his way towards an empty chair that stood right in front of the table. As he sat in it, he began to give a light chuckle; and, once again he shook his head.

"They likely believe that the fortress is weak as only two cog ships, half a dozen Devastators, and two hundred warriors of the Völsung Clan remain on that island…" he said with a deep, low, and evil voice. "...But they are wrong."

Vlar raised one of his brows at Ivar. "What do you mean, Boneless?" he said, questioning the High Chieftain's thoughts and motives.

"What I mean is that the men who operate the island are no ordinary Vikings." he answered, turning to face the other Chieftains. "These Vikings of whom I hired and recruited into the Völsung are some of my _elite guard._ The warriors who will remain by my side in every battle to come. And the warriors who will go from being ordinary elite mercenaries, to true Vikings."

He once again turned around to face the table, placing his elbows atop of it as he grasped his hands- grinning wider than before with his teeth now showing out.

"You're walking towards my trap perfectly, Hiccup." he said to himself, giggling. "Once my _Jomsvikings_ take care of you, I will finish dealing with what we started all those weeks ago back here in Kattegat. You will be burnt upon the remains of your filthy hut, and then I will lead a force that Berk will not be able to stand against; by _my hand._ "

"...No one can, or will save you, Hiccup…"

* * *

 **Next chapter, the captors will be revealed!**


	32. A Gruesome Act

**Just a quick note before beginning! I want to say that this chapter is going to be a little bit darker at the start due to what Hiccup does, but this is just something I wanted to remind you guys of in case you're extremely curious - no spoilers intended! Also once more, apologies for the long wait.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you're all amazing!**

 **Now, without further ado, let's continue our story!**

* * *

Hiccup eyed the _captured_ captors who were in chains and kneeled before him with slight surprise. It was at least nearly a dozen men of whom were of not just of the Hooligan Tribe, but as well as some of the others.

"How surprising that one man could have managed to pursued others from different Tribes to help in capturing a single Night Fury." said Magnus, kneeling down to the height of the Berkian who led them. "Tell me, why did you go on a hunt for a creature like Toothless, renegade?"

The man struggled, yet also chuckled. "The Dragon?" he questioned in a mixed tone. "Bah! It's a Night Fury for crying out loud. Why in the name of Odin's beard would we want a Dragon amidst our ranks!?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Eira asked in a clever comeback. "Have you seen what these magnificent creatures have done for Berk, for our people?"

"Magnificent? More like brutal, relentless, and wild disgusting beasts!" spat back the Hooligan renegade. "What they've only done for our people in the past is leave us to starve! They killed hundreds of us, and left us to rot on an island without stock or food!"

"And you've killed THOUSANDS of them in the past, fool!" exclaimed Hiccup, marching towards the man in chains. "Over the course of three hundred years the denizens of the Archipelago were able to achieve such a feat with only hundreds of Vikings! Were it not for me, my Dragon wouldn't have been here fighting with us against a common enemy, and Berk would have been burnt to ashes! The last thing we want right now however, is more infighting and further conflict!"

"Gah! And how do we know that this Night Fury won't just backstab us and leave us to die defenseless!? He's a malicious animal!"

"He, is one of my best friends." Hiccup stated, catching a gaze from Toothless. "I saw how he reacted to me when I first approached him without arms or violence. He was passive, and willing to see what I was, and who I was. I was there when he saved me and my friend from a _wild_ Dragon attack. And I was there when he and I saved two of my friends from drowning. Is that not enough for you, muttonheads!?"

That was it. There was in no way, shape or form, that the renegade Hooligan could spit a comeback back at Hiccup. He had perfectly proven his point to him and his men of whom were involved in capturing, and that was that.

"Well…" the man grunted. "If that damn Dragon hadn't bothered me today as I was pulling my cart, I might've spared him anyways."

It was at that moment for Hiccup, that he perfectly understood as a smirk grew across his face along with his eyes squinting in understanding. He now looked familiar. This man who initiated his Dragon's captured wasn't any ordinary renegade, but rather the man he saw earlier today who Toothless tried to help.

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "It's funny, now that I think about it." he said. "My Dragon tried to help you, and in return you give him this…" pointing out how he and the dozen others kidnapped the Night Fury. Slowly, he stood straight to his feet and looked back at Magnus and Eira.

Magnus stepped forward. "What are your orders, Hiccup?" he asked without hesitation. "Any punishment we give to renegades is fine by the other Chieftains, as they stated earlier today in the meeting that any renegades found guilty may be punished by us. But for execution, you must first consult with-"

"...Then let it be that way." Hiccup said, unsheathing his sword which caused the rest of Magnus' elite guard to unsheathe their weapons, but with uncertainty. Now the renegades of whom were bound had begun to panic as they struggled in their bindings. There was no way they could fight back, and they were sitting sheep ready for the slaughter.

Without an expression of remorse or sympathy, Hiccup said to Magnus, Eira, and the elite guard: "...Execute them all."

Magnus and Eira's eyes widened. "Hiccup-!" the both said in unison.

Hiccup raised a hand. "That's an order. Kill them all, now."

…

* * *

"Execution?" Stoick asked, somewhat horrified by the actions his son took. To him, his actions were more of what a Scandinavian Viking would do - but Hiccup in response gave a nod to his father and the rest of the Chieftains who stood around him in the Great Hall.

"I beheaded their heads from their filthy necks and threw them into the sea." responded Hiccup, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. "I gave them what was coming to them."

Dagur sighed. "Hiccup, your actions may have been a bit too hasty." he told the younger Viking. "Although we gave you the ability to punish any renegades you find that have been doing activities which may negatively affect us, you should have at least consulted with us first about execution."

Alvin nodded in agreement. "Aye. An' besides, who knows if 'ey were forced in ta workin' wif tha' man who captured yer Dragon. Was it really necessary, lad?"

"What I did was necessary. For Berk and for the other Tribes. What I did was an example to those who would try and renegade against us simply because of our Dragons. They are our only chance in this war aside numbers and strength."

"And do you really think striking out against our own men is the wisest of options rather than taking them in and warning them not to do it again?" asked Mogadon of the Meatheads.

"Spare me, Mogadon." Hiccup responded, boldly. "You weren't there to see what Mildew did to Berk. He nearly tore it apart in two, and what I did was show him that the might of Berk could not so easily be broken. And Berk as a result became stronger than ever."

"And have you considered your recent actions, Son?" Stoick asked, crossing his arms. "What you just did is something a Scandinavian Viking like Ivar would've done. You did without consulting, and this worries me so much that I-"

"I am nothing like Ivar!" interrupted Hiccup, with a glare glowing on his face. "What I did wasn't something that Ivar would do for his own pleasure, but rather for our people's benefit. If Toothless was killed right there and then, then we would've lost our greatest ally in this war!"

"And have you considered that Toothless is more than just a weapon or tool, Hiccup?" asked Magnus, stepping out from a nearby shadow with Eira by his side. "Your order of execution has placed me _and_ you in a tough position now that my men are doubtful!"

Hiccup raised a brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned Magnus as his expression quickly started to change.

Eira stepped forward. "The villagers and soldiers who were near the ramps that lead down to the docks saw what happened from across the cliffs, and they were disgusted by what they saw. Not only that, but Magnus' guard were AS WELL disgusted by what they were doing. Hiccup, you left the executed renegades to be viewed out in front of nearly a fourth of entire the village and in front of three of our regiments."

Magnus in response shook his head in disappointment. "And it took me a while to tell them what had transpired and why. And it was because of _you_ Hiccup that our men have begun to grow fearful of you! ...My guardsmen don't even want to leave my side because they fear of the unnecessary actions that they'll have to do again, which once more reflects upon what you ordered them to do today… Why, Hiccup? Why all this over a single Dragon?"

All eyes had now fallen onto Hiccup, filled with disappointment, worry, and fear for the young Viking's life. "What you have done is something I couldn't have ever dreamt of my own son doing." said Stoick, sitting down in a nearby stood with his face to his palm.

Hiccup, whose expression was filled with anger had now entirely changed from a glare to a look of realization. He glanced all around him and saw his own negative thoughts and feelings were bursting back on to him; especially from his best friend of whom had helped him escape the city of Kattegat more than half a month ago.

...What had he done?

He looked back at Stoick and said; "Dad… I- I didn't know that-..."

There was a long pause as Stoick looked back up at his son, shaking his head with a slight frown at him. "I don't want to hear it." he said to him. "What you did was something a warmonger would do. A… barbarian. And though I know that is not what you are, I know you can do better than that."

Hiccup sighed. His eyebrows arched up as he looked down at his battle torn hands. What had he done it for? Why had he done it? '...Oh gods, help me…' he thought to himself.

Without saying another word, he looked back at Toothless who stood at his side, and motioned him to follow. All eyes still gazing at him even as he began to leave the Great Hall.

"Where are you going?" asked Magnus, with his manner in tone switching to something more lighter.

"Away from here." he said back to Magnus and the rest of the Chieftains. "Away from the village. Somewhere where I can get a fresh breath of air."

Soon enough, the sounds of the doors of the Great Hall echoed as they opened and closed, and Hiccup and Toothless were no longer in sight. All eyes soon fell onto random objects in the hall, and silence took over.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think, Chieftain of Berk?" asked Eret, the former Dragon trapper.

Stoick sighed, troubled. "It had to be said."

…

* * *

Hiccup flew atop Toothless, hovering high up and over the forests that blew in the wind over the cliffs and in the peaceful valleys of Berk. Though covered in snow, the island as a whole was still beautiful to him.

And yet, he still couldn't get what his father said to him out of his mind.

" _I don't want to hear it."_ The words from his father echoed in his mind as he looked forward, focusing on flying atop his Toothless, but he could only get so far with it.

" _What you did was something a warmonger would do."_

"No…" he told himself. Hiccup began shaking his head from the negativity. His guilt began rising. He didn't want to think about these thoughts. Oh but why did they keep coming back to him? Why?

And then, the final words from his father struck him once more. _"A… barbarian."_ And from that, Hiccup turned his head to face towards the skies as he let out a mighty roar. Loud enough for any birds or Dragons nearby to hear him and possibly fly off without much reaction.

"Gragh!" he growled, sighing as the cold wind rushed passed his face. "What have I done, Bud? ...I've just proven to the other Chieftains, my own father, my best friend, and everyone in the Hall that I am no better than the enemy who commands and brings death to our gates... Ivar the Boneless." The name slipped out of Hiccup's tongue like a snake slithering, and he let out an exhale of guilt as he laid his head on the back of Toothless' upper neck.

Toothless gave a crooning noise in response to Hiccup's desperation. The poor lad felt as down as a downed Dragon, and it felt as if there was now much more against him and on his shoulders.

Hiccup sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent them out to find those Dragons." he said, referring to the gang. "They've been gone for hours by far, and there hasn't been any sign of _any_ of them. Have they gotten lost? What do you think bud-?"

Before he could finish however, the Dragon immediately stopped in place after seeing something small but strange in the distance. Hiccup responded by giving a frown towards Toothless. He shook his head. "Bud, why are you stopping? It's not like you have to go _now_. We only began flying fifteen minutes ago-"

It took him a moment to notice, but it was then that Hiccup too saw it. In the distance, there were four black dots flying in the air in a strange formation. It was almost like an _O_ formation, only there weren't any lines. Soon, curiosity got ahold of him.

"What the Hel is that?" he asked himself.

The dots in the distance however didn't stay idle like that. They began to change formation and pattern, and it was all before Hiccup realized that those dots were actually flying TOWARDS him and Toothless. His eyes widened in slight surprise.

"Alright, what in the name of Thor is going on now? What is _that_?" he questioned, louder than before.

...And his question would soon be answered.

Not too longer after, the shapes from the black dots turned into figures of familiar parts. He saw from each figure that there were two wings flapping up and down, that there were heads bobbing back and forth from flight, and that their colors were varied into blue, red, green, and brown. Their limbs soon became visible, and the Dragons carrying the Vikings on-back were almost fully detailed to-

"Wait. Vikings on the back of _Dragons?"_ Hiccup muttered.

But he soon gasped at the realization. Those figures, of which were flying towards him and Toothless were _Dragons_ , and they were not just any ordinary Dragons; but rather the ones that had aided him and Toothless during the Siege of Berk. Hiccup easily recognized them by their appearances.

And on the backs of those Dragons were five of his friends of whom he recognized. Snotlout who was riding the fiery Monstrous Nightmare, Fishlegs who rode the tough and tanky Gronckle, the Twins who were atop the necks of the Zippleback, and of course; Astrid Hofferson who rode on the back of a blue Deadly Nadder.

Hiccup, filled with delight and joy waved his hand over at them, expressing his gladness to seeing them. Soon enough, all four of the riders came to a stop in front of their friend, the Dragon Master as they recently began calling him.

"By Odin's beard! It's good to have you all back!" he laughed, smiling at each and every one of them with pride. "I thought you guys were lost, it was to where I was beginning to worry about you!"

Tuffnut gave a dramatic and acting chuckle. "Haha! Oh come on now, good sir Hiccup! You should know by now that _we_ never get lost!"

"You mean like that one time when you got lost in that cave we used to play in when we were eleven?" asked Ruffnut, giggling from her question as she knew what he brother was about to say.

"Yes-! Wait, what!? No! Nonononono-!"

"Too late! You already called it!" she replied, interrupting him just before her gaze fell back upon the heads of the Zippleback, giving them a nod. "C'mon Barf and Belch! Let's get this show on the road!"

The two of them without hesitating flew off once more, continuing into the direction from where they flew. After that, Snotlout and Fishlegs followed with smirks on their faces.

Snotlout shook his head. "Oh I don't think so... Let's go, Hookfang! There's five thousand pounds of flaming muscle coming through!" he laughed, rushing his Nightmare past the others at full speed right before Fishlegs followed.

"Oh, you're not going without me, are you?" called out Fishlegs as he looked down at the happy and wagging Gronckle, right as he quickly pulled a rock from his satchel and fed it to the hungry and grinning Dragon. "C'mon, Meatlug!" he said, bolstering the slow but agile Dragon forward.

Soon they were all off once more, which left Astrid and Hiccup alone as the two of them smiled in relief of seeing each other again.

"So… you guys already named your Dragons?" he asked Astrid, but she shook her head with a smirk.

"Not me, at least not yet." she replied, petting the Nadder. "I don't really have an idea for her yet, but I'm thinking of something that can match her blue color... Something that has to do with lightning or thunder, almost as if it flies by so fast that you can barely react."

"Something with the storm perhaps?" he asked her, and she shrugged in response. "Just a suggestion."

"Maybe." she told him. "But I'll have to think on that one. We'd better get back with the others before we-"

"Wait, Astrid…" he said, raising his hand up gently as he interrupted her, but not in a rude sense. Though as he spoke, his voice somewhat stuttered and cracked as he tried to develop what to express to her there and then.

However, all that came out from his mouth was; "I missed you, Astrid, I will admit... These last hours have been the longest hours of my life, and so much horse crap has gone down back at the village, you wouldn't believe it."

"Pfft. It could've been worse for you." she said, giving him a quick smile along with a wink which hastily made Hiccup forget about his negativity, now that he was around his friends again.

Hiccup replied with a nod. "Aye." he said. "But either way, it's good to see you again Astrid."

"You too, Hiccup."

…

* * *

Ivar smiled wickedly as he sat atop his throne with snow falling overhead, looking over from atop a large balcony that laid on the second floor of Kattegat's Great Hall. The Hall in itself was massive indeed, but what caught Ivar's attention was in front of him below.

From down below along a large road, bonfires were lit along with the sound of drums banging and echoing throughout the city; and with this drumming there was also the sound footsteps hitting the ground in sync, for it was the marching of warriors that was sounding down below as well.

"Ahh… look at this." he said as he laid back in his chair, grinning as Drago stood by him without much expression aside with a raised brow. "Rank upon ranks of my Great Army march forth in my city with an example of might at my command. For as long as the Four Chieftains of the Great Clans stand, no power in Scandinavia can stop me."

Drago nodded his head. "Perhaps…" he said softly. "Though there may be others that I could name that you can't entirely beat. Those who I command at my side which you do not possess… yet."

"Don't try to mock me, old man." Ivar responded, his voice growing deeper. "The Dragons would fall by the flocks once the mass production of my 'iron war machine'begins. I will create weapons no Viking or simple warrior in Midgard could've ever dreamt of wielding, and soon the whole of the Archipelago, and many more lands to come will be mine for the taking."

"And do you think my army alone could do the same?" Drago asked, crossing his arms. "Your overestimation and ego will be the end of you if you are not too careful. I lost my left arm because of that when I tried to fight off Dragons, boy. I know them better than anyone living in this world..."

"...Then perhaps you and Chieftain Hjalmar of the Broken Axe Clan may share what you have in common after he lost his left hand. He was once like you, at least to my knowledge."

Without another word, Ivar took ahold of his short wooden staff and slowly limped himself up and forward to stand on his feet and to straighten out his legs. He continued watching the ranks of Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus' march along the large open-spaced dirt road by the dozens, with twelve warriors per rank. On both sides of the road were large crowds of civilians in the hundreds, and with his posture now straightened out and his appearance in clear view to all, he could get to business.

He slammed his staff into the wooden planks of the large balcony, loud enough for all to have their attention caught onto Ivar, onto their King; and with their hands grasped in fists - the people of Kattegat raised their right arms up into the air as if they were flexing their muscles, and they saluted their High King, cheering for him.

"PEOPLE OF KATTEGAT!" he announced loudly. "It has been too long since we have had a proper sacrifice to the Gods… BUT TODAY, WE HAVE A GREAT AND GRAND SACRIFICE TO ODIN!"

His grin widened greatly, almost reaching from cheek to cheek as his white and Helish teeth were shown out to the people that stood before him. He then raised his arm to point out towards a set of cages that were hanging onto the side supports of the Great Hall, attached by large iron pillars that towered feet above the huts of the city.

" _These_ beasts have proved to have been USELESS to us!" he shouted, his voice becoming guttural. "But for tonight, they shall serve in something greater for the Gods. They, are OUR GREAT SACRIFICE!"

Bursts of fire enveloped out of the cages in small fiery blasts, and the civilians below became amused and amazed by what they were seeing. And upon further look, they all couldn't believe their eyes.

"FOR TONIGHT!" continued Ivar. "WE SHALL SACRIFICE THESE FIERY, WINGED BEASTS! TONIGHT; WE. HAVE DRAGONS!"


	33. Blaze of Glory

**This chapter is going to be quite the long one I will admit. But it will also be important as it will set up a big shift in Hiccup's character physically as shown much later throughout this chapter, particularly near the end of it. But either way, I hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Now, let's continue on to the chapter!**

* * *

Cold rain fell that night upon Berk. Everyone was settled in, and the newly tamed Dragons were openly welcomed by Stoick and the other Chieftains. A couple of the Chieftains didn't tolerate it at first, but eventually they had gotten over it, and willingly they accepted the presence of the Dragons.

As Hiccup walked out of the cold downpour and into his father's hut, he looked over by the fire pit and saw his father standing there with a metal poker in hand, poking at the wood of the quiet flames.

In an attempt to not grab any attention, Hiccup quietly began making light steps towards the stairs that led up to his room. Knowing his Dragon was upstairs most likely sleeping, he too would as well retire for the night.

However, Stoick's hearing was as sensitive as a Dragon's senses, and Hiccup did not slip by the occupied Chieftain unnoticed.

"Hiccup." Stoick said, turning his back to face his son.

The young lad immediately froze, knowing he was caught. 'Damn.' he thought to himself, slowly turning to face his father.

Hiccup sighed, looking towards at Stoick in the eyes. "Look- Dad, I know what you're going to say. But I- I actually wanted to speak to you about something."

Stoick let out an exhalation of air as he grasped his hands together. "I wanted to speak to you too, Son." he said, and just as he was about to continue to get straight into the point, Hiccup spoke in unison as well to express his own mind.

"I wanted to apologize for how I gruesomely acted today."

"I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you today."

"What?" they both asked again together, looking at each other in the eyes.

"Right. You go first, lad." interrupted Stoick before his son could reply, grabbing a nearby chair and setting in front of the young Viking as he sat down in it. "State your mind. Tell me what you wanted to say, Son. And I won't speak until you finish."

Hiccup nodded, knowing there was no other option. And so he sat down on the stairs, and began to express his mind to the large Viking.

"Look- Dad." he began. "I just wanted to apologize for how rude and stubborn and… how brutal I had acted today towards those men. You're right, I shouldn't have done that. What I did was cruel and barbaric. To carry out an execution without consulting, and doing it in the form of a slaughter rather than in the form of justice just goes to show I wasn't better than Ivar. I-"

Stoick placed a palm on his son's shoulder, lightly rubbing him. "Hiccup." he spoke softly. "Don't blame yourself for what you did today… After you left the Hall- I thought about what I said to you, and I wanted to apologize to you for the way I spoke to you. I had nearly forgotten right there and then that you were my son, and I had to look at the bigger picture and realize that we _all_ make such foolish mistakes in our life."

He looked down towards the floor, his thoughts continuously flowing through his mind. "Hel, even I made past mistakes that I wish I could go back and fix because of my foolishness and stubbornness." he spoke slowly, before gazing back at his son as he released his grasp from his son. "But know that no matter what, you are still my son, and I forgive for your mistakes…"

A small smile appeared on Hiccup's face as he let out a very light but hearty chuckle, patting his father on the shoulder in return for his words. "Thanks, Dad." he responded with a lighter tone. "It really means much to me."

Stoick nodded, looking up at the wooden ceiling of the hut. "Aye, and so does this damned rain interrupting our moment of peace, eh?"

The two of them gave out soft laughters, brightening up the mood from all that had happened that day. To Hiccup, it was the longest day of his life - but he was sure glad that it was finally over.

"Right then." his father said, clearing his throat. "I suggest you get some sleep for tomorrow, Hiccup. There's much to be done, and we still have many preparations to complete before the battle that will be soon to come."

Hiccup nodded his head as he replied; "Right. Then I'd better get settled in." before making his way further up the stairs. However, he would be halted by his father once again as he said:

"Oh, and one more thing… Magnus will be awaiting for you at the Blacksmith tomorrow for something important to give you. He said he had been working on it for a while now."

Hiccup arched a brow, looking back at his father. "What is it?" he asked him.

"...It's a gift." the Chieftain said, smirking. "I think you'll like it though."

…

* * *

Morning soon came to the village of Berk, yet there was still very low sunlight from behind the clouds. Few were up and out working despite the early hours, and although a light and cool drizzle fell over the village, it wasn't anything major for the villagers or warriors that were wide and awake.

Fortunately, Hiccup and the rest of the gang were already up by then as the morning weather had given them chills and cold sweats. None of them could fall back to sleep. Not even their Dragons...

Down by the dimly lit Blacksmith, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins stood around, discussing quietly about their next course of action beneath the roof which covered their heads from the light pouring rain.

"Quite the morning I must say." started Snotlout, his arms crossed as he leaned against one of the walls. "Then again, blame the rain. Woke us all up like a breeze in the winter."

"Well it is a little bit cool out this morning." stated Fishlegs as he stood by the door with his Dragon near him, staring at the rain. "But I wouldn't say that's the point for right now. Hiccup, why are we here?"

Hiccup sat in a chair, gazing down at the ground, and remaining relatively calm before he looked up at the others and cleared his throat to speak. "As you guys know, my Dad and the other Chieftains have made the decision to strike an importantly strategic and well-fortified prison fortress that is found outside the Fogbank and near a fjord that is about a few days or more away from Norway. To the Southeast lies an island known as Black Rock Isle."

Astrid nodded her head. "Aye, we've heard about it. But what else do you want to say about it, Hiccup?"

"Before I retired for the day yesterday, Eret, the former Dragon Trapper, approached me along with Magnus and Eira to provide some further information about the island. I guess he knew more about it than we did."

"And what did he say?" asked Snotlout.

"First off, apparently the prison fortress - to our luck - isn't quite fully guarded. As you know, we've already been told that the structures and fortifications found on the island are made out of iron and wood; but the island itself compared to the map is... slightly different from what Eret saw."

Fishlegs turned around to face Hiccup, arching a brow towards the son of the Chieftain. "And how can we believe him? How can we know that what he's saying is true, Hiccup? It's not like he-"

"Which leads me to my second point, Fishlegs." interrupted Hiccup. "When Eret was fleeing and hiding away from Olaf's forces, he stumbled upon the island as it underwent construction from a distance, and he saw that there were other ways onto the island which weren't defended. The cliffs, the outer hills, and even the rocky backside of the island which our Dragons can encircle to. We can use all of that to our advantage."

Snotlout leaned out from against the wall and stood, intrigued. "...Wait. Are you saying that we can just loop around the enemy and take the island easily?"

"Yes, it's possible. But… there's a catch to it. A slight problem."

Astrid sighed. "Well, every solution can always have a problem. So tell us, what's the-"

"Ooh, are there Devastators hiding behind the trees and rocks?" guessed Tuffnut, earning frowns from the rest of the gang. "I mean, you guys have seen the _epic_ destruction of those things. They can take out two huts with a single blast-"

Hiccup raised a hand, "Tuff." he said, irritated. "Please for once in your life, just stop."

"O...kay…" the Thorston replied, turning to face his Dragon.

"Anyways." Hiccup began, once more clearing his throat. "As Eret spied on the island from a distance with his scope, he said he noticed that there were the colors of a Clan among Olaf's forces that were set up on the island. They were Völsung, but… they were _also_ part of a different Clan. And after Magnus told me what Eret had described to him, I now realize that what we're going to face isn't going to be as easy as I anticipated."

"Why?" questioned Astrid. "It's not like a simple force of two hundred from another Clan is going to make a difference against a thousand of us."

"That's the thing, Astrid. They can. Even if they're small in number, these Vikings are legendary. Their banners have the symbol of a two-headed wooden Dragon from a longship, and I knew immediately that their Clan had to have been the legendary Order of Vikings which Scandinavians speak about. The elite and famous Jomsvikings."

"Alright… So let me guess this straight:" began Snotlout. "Ivar the Boneless has recruited elite and legendary Vikings from another Clan into his _own_ , and because of this we now have a real challenge on our hands?"

"Pretty much, Snotlout." the scrawny Viking sighed. "These guys are disciplined, skilled, and hard to fight against in battle. If they want you dead, you're possibly dead. I doubt even Magnus' elite can take them on alone, because now _these_ Jomsvikings have become Ivar's elite guard."

Ruffnut chuckled. "Uh, hellooo? We have Dragons, do we not? We can just blow them up."

"And they have Devastators which can blast us out of the sky and burn us into ashes, Ruff. You've seen what damage they caused to our forces and to Berk during the siege. We have to find a way to deal with one before we can deal with the other; otherwise we'll-"

Before being able to finish however, the door to the workshop quickly bursted opened as out came Gobber with his smithing hammer attached to his prosthetic hand, ready to do some work. As he looked around, he saw that the gang was fixated and staring at him, frozen.

Gobber raised a brow. "What're ye lads an' lasses doin' in 'ere? Did I miss sumthing?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No Gobber. It's nothing." he replied, before turning his head to face the others. "Alright, guys. We'll… talk about this later. For now, do whatever you need to do."

Soon enough, everyone had left the Blacksmith with their Dragons by their side out into the cool drizzling rain, and by then it was slightly lighter out. Hiccup adjusted his hood from his cloak as he bolted out the door with Toothless, making his way out onto the road.

From behind however, Astrid followed the scrawny Viking along with her Dragon accompanying her. Hiccup could easily hear her footsteps from behind as he turned around and noticed her.

"Oh! Astrid. ...Don't you have anywhere else to go?" he asked her, only to receive the shake of her head from her.

"Go back home and sit until the rain dies down? No, Hiccup." she responded, smirking. "My Dragon would have nothing to do aside sitting by the fire and sleeping before I would possibly do the same. Though, since you're here with your Dragon…"

She looked and motioned towards Toothless as both the Night Fury and Nadder quickly got along with each other, and both Dragons circled around each other, giving playful motions and looks.

"Maybe you and I can just take a walk or go somewhere?"

"Walk in the rain? No way in Helheim I would, Astrid - we would just shiver from this chilly weather… Though I was actually planning to go and visit Magnus and Eira to have a chat with them. Perhaps you would like to come along?"

It took the young lass a moment to think about it. But seeing as how she and Hiccup would have more company to talk with as well as place to go from the drizzle, Astrid shrugged and gave a nod to him.

"Why not?" she said, smiling at him.

Hiccup gave a chuckle. "Then let's not waste anytime. Let's run. C'mon!"

His words at first made her curious. Running through the rain? She would be somewhat surprised however as Hiccup quickly grabbed ahold of her hand with a firm grip, and the two of them started running through the rain towards Magnus' hut as Hiccup guided her; with both of them chuckling and laughing along the way as if they were their younger selves. From behind, their Dragons would too run along with them.

…

* * *

"It's good to see you fine and well this morning, Hiccup." said Magnus as he laid down a bowl of stew on the table in front of the scrawny Viking. "After what happened yesterday, I wanted to settle down and apologize- but I didn't get the chance to actually speak with you to solve out what I said to you... I shouldn't have been so harsh on you."

"No need to say sorry, Magnus." Hiccup replied, before blowing on his hot bowl of stew. "After seeing you approach me yesterday with the usual hearty behavior you would always give me, I knew something had changed, and I knew what you wanted to say. ...And so, I forgive you."

"Wait, forgive him for what?" asked Astrid.

"Nothing." both Hiccup and Magnus immediately responded in unison.

The two of them then lightly chuckled, just as Eira proceeded to sit down with Magnus in their seats opposite from the younger Vikings. Gently Magnus blew on a small spoonful of stew before he sipped on it, followed by a drink from his mug of ale.

"So…" began Eira, breaking the silence. "I guess you two couldn't sleep either?"

Hiccup and Astrid both shook their heads. "Nope." said Hiccup. "The breeze from this morning's drizzle woke up quite a bit of the village, including Astrid, I, and as well as the gang. So we decided to settle down at the Blacksmith and discuss about what you told me yesterday, Magnus."

"...About?"

"The Jomsvikings under Ivar's command of whom are occupying Black Rock Isle?"

"Ah…" Magnus let out, nodding his head before he sipped into his spoonful of stew. "Aye. Those elite bastards are indeed going to be a pain in our backsides. But hopefully with our Dragons, we can slowly pick away at them."

"But what of the Devastators?" asked Astrid, turning her gaze from her food up at the two older Vikings. "They'll just blast us out of the sky before we can get our Dragons to do some actual damage."

Eira shook her head with a giggle emanating from her. "Lass, there's always a way through the most toughest of challenges." she replied to Astrid. "Magnus and I will figure something out with Stoick. Though when we do sabotage that one Devastator, we could just turn the weapon against the enemy and blast the boar-crap out of them before we sink the nearest ship with it."

"And what if it doesn't go according to plan?" Astrid questioned once more.

"Then we'll take action into our own hands." spoke Magnus, replying to her. "Like Eira said, Astrid; there is always a way."

"Hm… a little improvising can't hurt." said Hiccup, looking at Toothless who was playing around with Astrid's Dragon near the far end of the long-hall.

"You know, we could always go back to the old stealth and strike tactic…"

Hiccup's tone however changed at that moment as a funny thought went through his mind. "I mean, re- remember how many warriors we took out that one night in K- Kattegat, Magnus?" he asked in a stuttering manner of laughter.

The older lad splurted and choked on his ale as he began laughing in his chair along with Eira, and Hiccup too joined in on the laughter as Astrid sat there, confused and eye-widened.

"Oh, those were good times. _Risky_ , but still good times." chuckled Magnus, sighing before his posture turned back to being straight. "Though stealth is still a good possibility. We could hug the cliffs and use the Dragons to help climb aboard one of the ships to take the enemy by surprise and-"

"... Actually. I _might_ just suggest that to Stoick. It doesn't sound half bad."

"Well you're the tactician here Magnus, so go for it if you must." responded Eira before she proceeded to munch on a piece of her small loaf of bread.

Dead silence soon enveloped the room, with only the sounds of squawking and growls and crooning noises coming from the nearby Night Fury and Deadly Nadder filling in the quiet ambience. However, the silence would quickly be broken as Astrid would grab everyone's attention, mainly Hiccup's as a smile formed on her face.

"Hiccup." she began, slightly giggling. "Are you... still thinking about that time where you accidentally confused Toothless with a black yak?"

That was it. Hiccup responded from that question in spitting out his drink entirely in embarrassment as ale came flying out of his mouth, and once again everyone at the table began to crack up at Hiccup's facial expression. Even the young lad began laughing as he noticed a foam mustache above his lips.

"Oh very funny!" he laughed, wiping the substance off his face, and soon enough the laughter did eventually die out.

"Your friend's really got it there with the jokes, Hiccup." commented Magnus.

"Aye. Astrid can be very funny at times."

"Mmm… Well then. While you're at it, I'd like for you to come upstairs with me, Hiccup." the older Viking said as something came to his mind, and he stood up to his feet and made his way towards the stairs.

"What is it?" asked Hiccup.

"It's a surprised that I want to show you. The gift which your father Stoick mentioned to you last night. I was going to show you it at the Blacksmith today, but I change my mind now that you're here. Regardless, I think you're going to love it…"

…

* * *

Hiccup stood in front of Magnus who sat in a chair in front of his large desk, and on his work desk were papers and plans of the war effort against Ivar; however one thing plainly stood out to the scrawny Viking.

Atop the table there was a sheet of wool and cloth covering a large pile of what was most likely Magnus' gift to Hiccup. The young lad didn't know what it was, but he was more than willing to find out.

"Well, Hiccup?" he started, grinning with his glance switching between both his surprise and Hiccup. "Remove the sheet, and see what's under there. I promise you, you'll like it, brother."

Those words from Magnus made Hiccup feel better in a sense of his positive mood. It had been a long while since Magnus called him brother, referring to brothers in arms of course; and without any more time to waste, the young, scrawny Viking unveiled what Magnus had made for him.

...And before his very eyes, there it was.

Right in front of Hiccup laid a brown leather-armored tunic that looked like it was made out of Dragon scales. It also had a strap going down from the corner to tighten around him for his size, along with black belt that would be used to fit his size around the waist.

To add on to it, there were also brown leather gauntlets to armor his hands and wrists, shoulder pads with a red and black Dragon painted on both of them, a red shirt to cover underneath his armored tunic, new leather pants, and a new pair of leather boots that would sustain better in the weather more.

At the very top of the pile however was something Hiccup didn't expect. There before him laid a newly forged sword with a hilt painted in black and red. The cross guard of the weapon represented the sturdy wings of a Dragon, and to Hiccup; the blade itself was shaped beyond perfect.

He looked back up at Magnus. "M- Magnus?" he began. "H- How did you- I mean… why? Why spend your time making this for me? This gift, it is better than anything I could've asked for in a time of conflict…"

"...I wanted to give something back to you." the older Viking replied, standing to his feet as he placed both his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "You've given us all the hope that we needed against a common threat. You've saved my life along with Eira's. And you have shown Berk- no, the Archipelago, that we can befriend a past enemy and leave behind old hatreds. Work together as one. And so, with my heart and soul, I made you this as thanks and tribute."

Magnus then proceeded to lift the sheathed weapon from the pile, presenting the weapon to Hiccup.

"This sword is called the _Dragon's Blade._ " he stated, turning the hilt to face Hiccup. "And if you unsheathe it, you'll understand why… but make sure to backup, will you?" he chuckled.

And Hiccup did so, backing up a few paces before his gaze fell onto the hilt of the sword. With a firm grip he grabbed ahold of the winged hilt, and from its sheath he pulled the Dragon's Blade out slowly. As he pulled, aloud _click_ was heard, followed by the sound of fire whooshing.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he looked at the blade of the weapon and noticed that it was glowing. He then immediately pulled the sword out from its sheath completely and held it up vertically. And before his eyes; a flame of glory lit the room.

The blade of the sword was covered entirely in flames from base to tip, and this to Hiccup was something he couldn't have ever imagined. In fact, perhaps something no Viking could've ever imagined.

"Let this sword be your second best friend, Hiccup." said Magnus, breaking the silence. "The might this sword wields can burn your foes to a crisp until nothing but ash remains in your way. It is forged by the best irons found on Berk; and with the addition of the sword you wield which I gave you back in Kattegat, no foe can stand in your way that easily."

"...If that be the case." Hiccup replied, turning back to face Magnus. "Then I shall charge into battle with either one, or the other, or both equipped in-hand."

The older lad nodded at Hiccup with pride in his eyes, as even the fire burning from the sword reflected this as it's shimmer was mirrored in Magnus' eyes.

"We strike Black Rock Isle in seven days timed. But now, you must put aside the Viking." he told the scrawny lad, nodding his head. "And become the leader you were meant to be, Dragon Rider."


	34. Breaking and Entering

**This chapter took quite a while for me to type out, and I will admit, it was somewhat difficult due to having to put together a clear visualization. But no matter, I hope you enjoy! (And apologies for any grammatical errors, it was pretty long!)**

 **Also, thanks to those who reviewed so far!**

* * *

 _ **Ten days later…**_

" _To me, the day I gave Hiccup his new weapon, the Dragon's Blade, was the day that the lad transformed from a regular young Viking into a real man who had earned the confidence and mindset to lead a people. To lead us. His sword signified it."_

" _And so, when seven days passed and the time came upon us to sail out, it is here, after three days of sailing out at sea that we closing in on our enemy. This night shall be the night which will remind us of who we really are:"_

" _We are Vikings…"_

A mist rolled in from the East in the calmness of the night. After seven days of preparation, for the coming battle of the prison fortress on Black Rock Isle; the Tribes of the Archipelago as well as those who came seeking allies on Berk had mustered a great fighting force of a thousand to combat their common enemy.

Although this wouldn't be enough for taking them on directly, the Tribes knew that they would give Ivar the Boneless and the Great Heathen Army their all.

Hiccup knew in his mind they would. After three days of sailing out in the open ocean, with the third being outside the Fogbank, he could clearly see how desperate and ready the men were for the battle up ahead.

But time was with them, and Hiccup knew that they were close to their destination.

He inhaled the unsettling air surrounding them from all around the fleet, which as well came from the large battle-longship that they were on. He knew that some were nervous. Especially the gang.

"I can smell it, Dad." he said, turning to face his father while glancing Toothless who stood next to him. "Some of our warriors are nervous for this battle. I feel as if their wait for the fight has caused them some stress and uncertainty."

Stoick nodded, still facing forward. "These are times of war, Hiccup. We can never be certain of what's to come, even if we know what we're up against. But it will all soon go away once battle is joined. We have to be ready."

Hiccup motioned an expression of understanding to his father, while also heeding his words and casting aside any remnant of tension with readiness. It was inevitable after all.

Looking to his left and taking eyes upon the group, particularly Astrid, Magnus and Eira, he noticed that they seemed to be taking lower stances as they were ducked down and sitting against the outline of the longship. It was almost as if they were preparing to sneak around.

And he was indeed right. He slowly approached them with Toothless by his side and asked; "Getting ready for the fight?"

"Not just the fight," replied Astrid, looking up at him. "But also to sneak and sabotage. We're going to take a risky but effective approach before we go in. But we're doing this without the aid of our Dragons."

"Just the three of you?"

"Aye, just us." nodded Magnus, smirking back at Hiccup. "We still have yet to plan out how to coordinate and move our attacks, though we at least know exactly where to strike."

The scrawny Viking sighed. "I guess I'll join you then." he said, lowering himself to sit next to Astrid. "...But, I want Toothless to come along."

The three pairs of eyes gazed onto Hiccup, showing signs of uncertainty. But the young lad assured them of what he was doing, and Toothless seemed fine with it as he walked over to sit next to him.

"I assure you that it cannot go wrong with Toothless behind us." said Hiccup, petting the Black Dragon. "A Night Fury is nearly impossible to spot in the dark of night. His steps are as quiet as a mouse, and his senses are as sharp as wolf's. I promise you, it cannot go wrong.

A short amount of time passed in silence after Hiccup's short but promising explanation. Magnus, Eira, and Astrid were unsure on if it was of the best course of action. However, it took Magnus a moment to take a step out and realize that it could work.

"If what you say is true… then perhaps it could work." he replied, standing to his feet as he eyed the Dragon. "Very well then. As long as he remains with you, he may come. But we can't take anymore risks."

"Makes sense." nodded Hiccup, standing to his feet along with Astrid after he offered her a hand. "But we should do this in a way where we can easily coordinate and attack with a powerful element of surprise that the Jomsvikings will not expect. Their legend will become stupidity to go down in history."

"Then perhaps we should stick together?" suggested Eira, gesturing towards them and herself. "If we work as one we can be more efficient. If we strike where it hurts the most for them then they won't stand a chance once we start making our way up."

Hiccup looked back at Astrid and Magnus after listening closely on the older shield maiden's words, thinking deeply. "What do you guys think?" he asked.

"Seems like a wise strategy." said Magnus. "Could spare us many of our men, if Odin be willing."

Astrid winked an eye in agreement. "I agree with her. Seems like the best approach without losing much."

"Very well, then. It is settled. We will go with Eira's strategy whilst remaining close together. Toothless will provide us with back up and cover for if we are exposed to getting caught. Hopefully this will-"

"LAND HO!" a voice called out from ahead, drawing all of the attention of the fleet forward.

Snotlout, who was nearby, looked up ahead and saw an island in the distant. It was somewhat small from their perspective in the distance, but he knew that it would be a large fortress that would be ready to be sieged.

"We're here." he said with a cold voice with his Fishlegs, the Twins, and his Dragon Hookfang standing at his side.

Immediately from all around however, the lanterns and lights that gave view and light of their fleet had begun to go out. That as well included the ship they were aboard.

And soon enough, the entire fleet of longships was veiled in the darkness of the night.

He then turned to face Hiccup, who was ready and armored in his brown leather gear and tunic. He gave an expression of approval to the lad. "It's your call now, Hiccup! What are your orders?"

...

* * *

The four Vikings and the Night Fury hugged the rocky shore near the cliffs. Hiccup, Astrid, Eira and Magnus had gone ahead to do the sabotaging with Toothless, and from behind the fleet stayed and remained ready for when the time was ready to strike, whilst everyone remained out of sight of the ships.

Now that they were closer to the fortress however, the sound of what seemed to be metal hitting rocks, possibly furnaces and anvils being operated, and forges running could be heard from inside the fortress itself. Perhaps the isle also had a different purpose...

As the four of them continued moving, staying low and remaining close to the rocky cliffs, the sight of a hill and a side beach with docks came into their view towards their left up ahead. Atop the hill laid their target to sabotage.

Hiccup looked up at the tower overlooking the beach, determined to move as quickly and quietly as possible towards and atop the structure.

"The Devastator guarding _this_ beach remains held up at the very top of that scout tower." he whispered, pointing his finger towards the cannon which turned and aimed for any enemy that would be ready to strike. "But getting inside won't be easy."

"You don't say?" replied Astrid, smirking as she was inspecting the area with a scope. "From what I see, at least twenty or so Jomsvikings stand between us and that tower. Four archers are overlooking from the hill outside the structure, two shield bearers are guarding the door to the scout tower, four are at the very top of it, and the rest seem to be located at the nearby docks to our right."

Eira nodded. "If we alarm any of the Jomsvikings archers atop the hill, the rest will waste no time to stop everything they're doing and come after us."

"Then we'll have to improvise." Magnus stated, turning his gaze from the tower towards the others. "We'll need to pick them out one by one without drawing too much attention. For starters, we need to clear the hill of those archers. Grab their attention on something else."

Hiccup stepped forward, volunteering himself. "Toothless and I can handle it. We just need to find something we can burn to grab their attention. A farm, a stock house. Anything."

Astrid continued inspecting the area, searching for a vulnerable and appropriate target. "Well…" she began. "I think that storehouse of food will do. If we burn it, the men around this area will begin to worry and immediately head for it. No food means no survival."

Hiccup glanced over, gazing at the large hut-shaped storehouse, until he realized that it stood by the large, iron side gate of the fortress. Plus, two of the twenty warriors guarded that gate.

"Damn, this might be a tougher challenge." he said.

"Why so?" asked Astrid.

"Only problem is that it stands closer to the side gates leading into the fortress, and it's being guarded. I have one shot at this of trying to get at least a small light on it before it burns. If I'm caught, it's all over. ...But regardless, it must be done."

At first, Magnus slowly nodded his head up and down hesitantly, until he started moving it faster and finally came to agreeing with the young lad.

"It's a bold strategy." he said, patting the scrawny Viking on the shoulder. "If you really plan to do this, then I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure to stay high and above from their sight. Blend in with the night sky, and stay away from torch-lit areas. They'll easily spot you."

Hiccup exhaled, bowing his head and running up to mount Toothless, wasting no time. "Wish me luck." he told them.

Magnus looked up at Hiccup, giving him a 'good to go' expression. "We'll waiting right here until you have finished. Once those archers become occupied, we'll meet at the top of the hill and take cover within the bushes… But please, be careful Hiccup."

And just like that, both the Dragon and the Viking were off towards the night sky, flying towards and above the small docks which housed a few large structures. One of them including the storehouse.

The area however was very tight and packed together. The majority of the Jomsvikings sat around a bonfire which stood at least fifty or so yards apart from the side gate and thirty from the docke. The young lad knew that getting around wouldn't be easy.

Unless… he went alone.

"Alright Bud, I'm afraid I'll have to sneak around alone." he said to Toothless, earning a croon from him.

"Toothless, you're too large to sneak around these tight corners. Your size will catch the attention of the guards, and we can't have that. And if you fire from here, your blast and its impact will make them aware that we're here with Dragons. I must go alone until the area is clear."

The Dragon exhaled air from his nostrils, obliging to Hiccup's demand as they both flew and landed on a ridge that was near the docks, opposite from where Astrid and the others were.

He then looked over at his Dragon and gave him a nod. "Wish me luck." he said before the Black Dragon flew back up into the air on command.

Now, it was Hiccup's move.

The scrawny Viking made his way over to the edge of the rocky ridge and slid down it with haste, causing rocks to crumble and slide down with him as he landed next to the side of a hut and a hay bale, right across from the gathering of Jomsvikings.

His actions however did not go unnoticed entirely…

The sound of rocks crumbling down the ridge caught the attention of two of the five chatty Jomsvikings of whom were having a good time, and they turned their heads to face towards the ridge, seeing rocks and pebbles slide down from it.

"What's that?" one of them asked.

The second one shrugged. "I- I don't know. But we'd better check it out and see."

The two of them then stood up on their feet, lighting their guard torches using the bonfire before making their way towards Hiccup's location. If Hiccup was spotted from the shadows, it would all be over.

"Crap…" he muttered as his breathing intensified.

Thankfully for him, the hay bale which he landed nearby could provide him cover. And so with quick reaction the young Viking would jump into the bale and go deep beneath the blades of hay, not thinking about peeking his head out.

He laid there flat on his back as he noticed the light of the torches hovering over him and near him. He knew that the Jomsvikings were close and right next to him. But this made him more tense as he breathing still slightly intensified, and he couldn't make it quiet.

The two guards at first noticed this, and they turned their heads and looked around. "What's that noise?" one of them asked. "Is that breathing?"

Hiccup immediately froze, and reacted by holding in his breath. He knew that another sound would grab the attention of the guards, so he had to remain quiet for the time being.

But as he laid in the hay and held his breath, he could feel himself go slightly light-headed from holding his air in, and the guards still wouldn't leave. It was as if they were on a hunt, looking for prey.

His air however soon began to run thin, and sweat started running down his head and face. Why wouldn't they leave? What in Odin's name were they doing?

It felt like an eternity for Hiccup, until finally…

"Bah, maybe it was just the wind." the second Jomsviking guard said, and soon enough the torches moved away from his location as the sound of footsteps began to distance away as well as his voice: "Now, let's get back to talking about that recent raid…"

Hiccup let out his air from his lungs until they were far enough away, sighing in relief as he wiped the sweat off his face.

"That… was close." he whispered, rushing out of the hay bale and into the cover of darkness once again from the shadows.

With his path now cleared, Hiccup could now begin his way towards the side gate. He would start by climbing the hut which shadowed him, making his life a whole lot easier, especially since the roof itself was not as curved like those of the huts on Berk. It was Scandinavian making after all.

He would proceed by running along the side of the roof which faced away from the camp and towards the ridge, before jumping over to the next hut that laid quite a distance before him, but still making it regardless, moving ever so swiftly and quietly towards the his target.

Soon enough however, he would be left to a stop as he jumped off the last hut and landed right next to his target: the storehouse.

Before him also stood the gate, guarded by the two Jomsvikings whose colors were as red like the rest. Their Spears stood upwards like staves, and their shields laid by their sides for defense. Hiccup had gotten this far, he couldn't screw up now.

From directly above, Toothless looked over, watching his friend's every actions, and although he couldn't fly down to meet Hiccup as it would immediately catch the attention of the two guards, he was indeed ready for the moment to set ablaze the storehouse.

"I need to find a way to distract them…" he told himself, looking around for anything that he could use to get their attention. "But what… what can I use?"

For an odd reason, his eyes had set upon a nearby large rock in front of him that seemed to be tossable with only one hand and the flex of an arm needed. But what could he use it on?

From afar, a cart filled with what seemed to be potatoes stood with a batch of crates stacks and held together, like a stockpile. To Hiccup, he had an idea in mind…

He reached down to grab the stone that laid in front of him, smirking as he flexed and raised his arm back - ready to throw the hard but heavy rock at the cart to see what would happen.

"Odin, guide my aim… or something."

And so, with one last flex of his arm, followed by a release, the rock went flying forwards at the cart of potatoes, fast and heavy like a catapult, and in no more than a couple of seconds the sound of a loud _THUD_ could be heard from it's impact.

The two guards however reacted as according to plan.

"What the Hel was that!?" one of them asked.

"I don't know!" the second replied. "But I heard it come from that cart. We'd better check it out!"

The two immediately rushed out of position towards the cart that laid many feet away from Hiccup, and he knew now that the time was right.

He looked up towards the seemingly invisible Night Fury and he motioned him down whilst the Jomsviking guards were distracted, and without a moment to lose Toothless swept down and landed near Hiccup, allowing the Viking to quickly climb onto his back.

"The guards are still occupied, Bud." he said, smirking. "The time is now. Do your thing."

Toothless gave a Dragon-like nod, and with the simply release of plasma flames from his mouth as if he were about to let out a sigh, a small spark of flames appeared on the wood of the storehouse before it quickly spread into flames.

Hiccup nodded. "Let's go, Toothless. C'mon Bud!" he said, and the two were quickly out of there in a flash as the storehouse lit up into flames, and it only took a moment for the guards to notice what was happening.

Soon, a loud horn sounded throughout the small base of the docks, and the majority of the twenty Jomsvikings began making their way towards the storehouse. Even the archers of whom were up on the hill made their way down, abandoning their positions.

Magnus, who was hidden with the others, smiled with his brows down. "He's done it." the older Viking said, chuckling.

Astrid smirked. "Let's give them what's coming to them, then. Come on!" she responded, rushing forth away from the rocky ledge, and up the beach towards the top of the hill with Magnus and Eira following from behind.

Hiccup from above noticed this and smiled. The plan was going according to plan, and now they could go on to the second step of their plan of striking where it hurts most.

"C'mon, Toothless. Let's fly to them." he said, patting the side of his head, and the Dragon obeyed, flying towards the three Vikings who had hidden in the bushes with haste and stealth.

From above, Hiccup watched as how the Jomsvikings gathered into formation outside the gate, and how the storehouse continued burning. No matter how many buckets of water they threw at the structure, they had done no change or effect to the raging inferno. Their food was lost now.

And soon, as well as their lives.

Landing in the bushes with Toothless still by his side along with Astrid, Magnus and Eira still with him, he gave a nod that everything was still going smoothly.

"It's working." His voice sounded confident, though his focus was still attentive. "Now all we have to do is get inside and up the tower without those two knowing we're here. Any ideas?"

At first, no one spoke or said a thing. The three of them at first were unsure of how to act, but certain that what they do could work. Finally however, Eira giggled as she unsheathed her bow and an arrow from her back and quiver; her idea being ready to be set in motion.

"Magnus." she said, turning her head to face the man. "Ready one of your throwing axes. This is going to get bloody."

"I like the way you're thinking, _dear_." he replied, adding the 'dear' in a joking and bolstering manner for the young woman, and she scoffed from that word.

"Oh stop it."

The two of them advanced forward a few steps in the bushes, with their weapons ready and aimed along with Magnus allowing for Eira to make the first shot and kill.

She proceeded to attach her onto her bowstring, pulling it back and aiming at the Jomsviking furtherer away from them. With a precise aim she released her arrow, hoping it would get a good hit, and to her luck it did. More luckily than she could have expected as the arrow gouged deep into the Jomsvikings windpipe, immediately killing him as he fell to the ground.

His partner looked to his right, staring down the guard who had been shot in the neck and killed, and immediately his guard was on.

"What the Hel-?"

Suddenly, the sound of metal whirling in the wind came flying right out of the bushes as an axe flew into the back of the Jomsviking, causing him to fall face forward. Magnus then rushed and repeatedly sliced at the back of the warrior with the axe that was impaled in his back, making sure he didn't get back up… again.

He then looked back at the others and nodded, sheathing the axe back under his gambesons sleeve. "The coast is clear." he whispered loudly, and the three Vikings along with Toothless rushed out of the bushes and towards the door of the watchtower.

Hiccup went in first, motioning the rest to follow. "Now, let's get moving. It's time we begin and finish what we wanted to start here."

The way up to the top of the tower was made up of wide but steep enough stairs which spiraled up, enough for a Dragon like Toothless to fit through, or even two people at the same time. Hiccup ran with Astrid next to him, followed by Toothless who was behind them, and Magnus and Eira who watch their backs from behind.

Every torch they ran by, they knew that they were obviously getting higher and higher to the top of the tower. But finally, they would soon make it up as Hiccup and Astrid ducked for Toothless, and the hatch to the roof of the tower bursted opened from Toothless' Dragon fire.

Immediately, the four guards at the top reacted as they turned away from their posts and rallied near the Devastator, facing towards the four Vikings and their Dragon who leapt outwards of the hatch, standing feet away opposite from their opponents.

Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus and Eira had their weapons drawn in hand, and Toothless' mouth laid opened with roaring plasma flames being shown to the Jomsvikings. The five of them were ready to strike, waiting for their opponents to make the first blow. However, both sides were at first hesitant.

Being at the top of the tower, they felt the cold wind blowing wildly in their faces, and the smoke rising from inside the prison fortress became more apparent to Hiccup. It was indeed almost as if it was a whole other operation going on on this island, and he intended to find out. Even the many lights coming from the torches all over the island made him think of it, like they hundreds of forges.

It wasn't long however that a voice interrupted the silence.

"A Dragon?" one of the Jomsvikings said, gripping his great axe tightly. "How original that someone like yourselves would wield a weapon to do your pitiful work for you. The weapon of a coward!"

Hiccup shook his head at the elite warrior. "He is no mere weapon, Jomsviking. My Dragon is a companion. An ally, and a friend of which the likes your people could have never wished for."

"Our people don't wish!" the Jomsviking replied back, stepping forward. "We get what we want! We are elite, legendary, and unbreakable! No matter what foe stands in our way, their strength, skill, and discipline will never match up with ours."

"We'll see about that when my Dragon and I take your very lives away like leaves burning off a tree."

The warrior laughed, pointing his axe forward. "Hah! Let's see you try! ...Don't let these fools anywhere near the cannon!"

Soon, fighting broke out. Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus and Eira charged their direct opponents, and a small battle began atop the tower with the group facing whoever they were facing opposite. All the meanwhile, Toothless gave supporting fire onto their foes.

Hiccup, now having two weapons at his side, took the advantage and unsheathed the Dragon's Blade, and upon impact from the Jomsviking's great axe and onto both of his weapons, the warrior stared at him eye-widened.

"What sorcery of Odin is this!?" he grunted, before bringing his axe back and attempting to do a heavy horizontal arc with his axe.

Hiccup responded however by rolling to the right and out of the way, as he knew the axe's weight would just slow him down, and with a slice of his main sword into the side of the Jomsviking's leg he managed to slightly cripple him. But it wasn't enough.

He stared up at his opponent. "It's not called sorcery." he responded with a glare. "It's called technology. We Vikings use it to make life easier which I highly doubt you strong and _intelli_ gent Jomsvikings use for an advantage. You're just stuck in the past with Ivar, aren't you?"

The mighty warrior let out a roar of rage, charging Hiccup with more brutal strength as he jumped up into the air and let his axe come down onto the scrawny Viking, and to this Hiccup barely had enough time to react.

The young lad responded with another roll to the side, causing the Jomsviking's axe to be embedded into the wooden planks of the tower's roof, and from this act it gave Hiccup the advantage. With the warrior preoccupied on trying to release the axe from the planks, Hiccup managed to roll around him and get a slice with both his fiery sword and main sword towards the backsides of his chest.

Once on his feet and on the left side of the elite Viking, he attempted to advance onto him and get in a finishing blow…

But this was not meant to be.

The warrior responded immediately with a hard punch to Hiccup's chest which caused him to be sent flying backwards, and _nearly_ off the roof of the watchtower. There, he laid on his back - looking up at the advancing elite warrior and thinking as if death was almost certain.

The warrior limped, carrying his axe in both of his arms, ready to cleave the scrawny and smaller Viking in two. From his mouth, he let out a bloody cackle.

"Looks like Midgard wasn't meant for you after all." he said with a guttural voice, raising his axe. "And neither will Valhalla!

As he began to bring it down upon Hiccup, a loud and bellowing screech from nearby interrupted him and all noises around. A purple glow from the side flashed upon the Jomsviking, and soon a blast of plasma fire came hurling at him, receiving a direct hit towards the Jomsviking.

"AAARRGH!" he screamed, flying off the tower and burning on the way down, with no chance of survival.

Hiccup smiled, letting out an exhale of air as he was greeted to Toothless who helped the young lad up with his head, and Hiccup gladly held onto it as he was lifted away from the edge.

"Thanks, Bud." he said, watching as the last Jomsviking was cut down by Magnus… however, it seemed like the rest were blown off by Toothless.

Magnus gasped for air, turning around as he sheathed his blade. "Well, there's my first kill. How did you guys handle it-?"

But as he turned around, he saw no corpses, and all eyes fell on Toothless as he wagged his tail and gave a gurgling laugh at the others, thus, Magnus assumed they were blasted off by the powerful Night Fury.

"Well, at least that's handle." he said before turning towards the Devastator. "Now… let's do what we came to do."

Magnus wasted no further time as he ran up to the foul machine, and with his strength and muscle he turned the weapon to face towards the ocean, specifically outwards near shore; and in the distance there was an iron cog ship, as was correctly predicted by both the maps and Eret. They all knew that if the vessel fell and sank, then so would all the other Devastators and warriors aboard it.

With the manned Devastator now loaded with the flaming projectiles in it's raging furnace, the lever for releasing the ball of flaming iron was now cleared to be used… but the honor was not his.

He turned and looked towards Hiccup, giving the lad a nod. "This is your honor, Hiccup." he told him. "You got us this far. Now, release Hel onto our enemy."

Hiccup obliged without any problem, walking slowly but calmly up to the platform of the large and destructive Devastator. He took one last glance at the iron cog ship that sailed in the distance, but he also knew that time was of the essence, and that he had wasted enough of it…

And so, he grasped onto the lever, and with the heave of his arm a loud boom followed from the barrel of the large cannon...


	35. Blood and Battle

**I would like to apologize for the wait. I initially intended on releasing this chapter at an earlier date, but this week on Monday I had a surgery operation on my right hand, thus I can't use it, so it took some time to type this one o ut. Just know I will still be making chapters, but they will be made at a slower rate.**

 **Also, thanks to those who recently reviewed!**

 **Now, let's move on - shall we?**

* * *

A loud boom erupted from the Devastator as Hiccup pulled the lever, and from the destructive war machine, a large projectile of metal and fire hurled towards the iron cog battleship in the distance, and when both the projectile and the ship met, it was a massacre.

With the sails on the ship raised and unable to escape, and the crew of twenty atop of it unable to react, the vessel bursted out into flames as one of the barrel stocks of tar and oil had been also been lit, causing a bigger explosion to follow before the cog ship and all of the dismounted Devastators aboard it exploded, bringing the crew with them to their fiery deaths as screams could be heard from afar.

Stoick, along with the rest of the fleet, saw this all go down from the distance. "That's the signal..." he said, and it was then that they all knew; it was time to strike.

The mighty Chieftain of Berk unsheathed his axe, and raised it towards the sky. "LOWER ALL SAILS!" he shouted. "FORWARD, VIKINGS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO! BATTLE AWAITS!"

The sound of battle horns booming, warriors running and chattering aboard the ships, and sails lowering followed by torches and lanterns lighting up took fold all across the fleet. Their position was no longer hidden, and now the Jomsvikings had a fleet of a thousand angry Vikings sailing towards them with one hundred ships.

From the main beach, where the gates and the main wall was housed, more than a hundred Jomsviking warriors saw the approaching fleet getting closer and closer as they crowded in front of the main gate, and this as a result also caught the attention of the prison fortress' leader from atop the wall.

The large iron gates to the fortress opened up before the small but elite army, and out came the Jomsviking general. "What's going on here!?" the general demanded, approaching the center of the crowd.

"General Borgrin!" a warrior called out. "It's a surprise attack! The enemy has been waiting, hidden from us! We didn't see them coming-!"

Suddenly, another large boom fired from the same Devastator that destroyed the previous ship, and what followed was a large explosion from inside the fortress itself as a tower and a few huts came crashing down in flames.

The general looked behind, towards the opened gate, and saw the madness that was beginning to unfold.

"Fools!" he grunted, turning around and pushing aside two Jomsvikings. "You've let our enemies expose us from the inside out, and now one of our own Devastators are being used against us! You dishonor Chief Ivar!"

The general turned back to face the gate, before proceeding to make his way inside the fortress, with his first thoughts being to make way to the stronghold.

"Wait… but- what about us!?" one warrior asked.

"YOU'RE JOMSVIKINGS!" the general bellowed. "You can take down ten of those fools with only one of yourselves! There's two hundred of us! Deal with them!"

The large gates shut behind them, and the Jomsvikings turned towards the two main watchtowers that were positioned opposite from each other, both located near the beachhead of the shore.

The captain stepped forth. "Get the warriors atop those towers armed and ready! Prepare the Devastators… and make ready for the new killing machine! Let arrows rain down upon our enemy!"

The horn of the Jomsvikings blew loudly, sounding the order to ready their arms. They then began rallying towards the beachhead with their bows, axes, shields, and swords ready and in-hand, taking cover behind extremely sturdy wooden barricades near the towers.

What was certain now, was that a fight was about to break loose.

Back on the other side of the island, on the side beach, Hiccup and the small group had finished sabotaging the unguarded Devastator, and now it was time for them to take action of their own.

"It's time we get rid of this foul weapon!" grunted Hiccup, mounting atop Toothless before beginning to meddle with the weapon. "All of you, down the tower, now!"

Astrid looked at Hiccup, confused. "What are you going to do, Hiccup?"

"Give it a self-destructing farewell. Now just do as I told you before this things explodes on us!"

The three of them, now knowing what Hiccup was doing, wasted no time and began running down the stairs for their lives. If Hiccup was meddling it for a self-destructing farewell, then that could only mean a self-destructing explosion from the weapon on itself and the tower.

Each torch they passed by, they knew they were getting closer and closer to the door, and by the time they ran out it - a large explosion from the top of the tower erupted as the whole structure came crashing down on itself. The wave of the blast sent Astrid, Magnus and Eira flying forward, making them land on their fronts as Hiccup flew down from the black smoke that was now emanating from the large inferno of what remained of the tower.

The three of them stood up on their feet, facing Hiccup who had a smirk on his face, even when he dismounted Toothless and approached them with a slight chuckle.

"Now _that_ was a blast!"

Eira nodded. "Yeah, well you could say that again!" she replied, motioning with her head for Hiccup to turn around. The battlecries of warriors came running up the hill, and soon enough the fourteen Jomsvikings of which were distracted had corned the four Vikings and the Night Fury.

Spears, axes, and swords were pointed out towards the young Vikings, but they nonetheless still stood their ground.

"So, you're the fools that burnt down our storehouse, and destroyed our Devastator and watchtower!" one of them said, stepping forward. "Our General will be pleased when we cut off your heads and-"

Before being able to continue however, a blast of fire from nearby rained upon the Jomsvikings' left side of the line, sending three flying back in flames, down the cliffs and into the ocean.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" shouted Hiccup, and after less than a second the Dragon let out a powerful blast of plasmic fire, causing a shockwave to send the Jomsvikings nearly down to the ground, whilst blasting a few back in flames.

Not more than a minute would pass by before the small Jomsviking group would be finished off as more Dragon fire rained down from above, and from the skies descended four familiar figures along with four familiar Dragons.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, now could we?" called out Snotlout as Astrid's Dragon came flying down towards her, landing before the shield maiden before giving a bow to allow her to mount up.

"It's good to see you, girl." she said, petting the Dragon's head before mounting up with Eira, offering the older Viking a hand.

Eira grunted, unsheathing her blades. "I think it's time that we show these bastards what happens when we unleash our might upon them, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it is." replied Magnus, mounting atop Toothless behind Hiccup before the Night Fury took flight once more. "Today, it's either victory, or Valhalla!"

The riders cheered as their Dragons became fully airborne, all before making their way towards the outpost base next to the docks with their mouths hot and lit with fire…

Back near the main shoreline of the isle, Stoick began to address the men of whom were aboard his ship, as well as those from other nearby ships who were in his range to hear him and prepared to land.

"Listen up, men!" he announced, raising his voice. "Once we go on that beach head, there is no turning back! Up ahead, our foe is small in number, but heavy and elite in strength! If we're to prevail tonight, we must hold the line as one! Stay together! Sail forward!"

"Sail forward!" The order was repeated throughout the ranks from ship to ship until the speed of their knots increased. Soon enough, the first wave of two hundred Archipelago Vikings reached the beach, and the horn was sounded to start the attack.

Hooligans, Berserkers, Outcasts, Meatheads, Bog Burglars and the Trappers; all of them advanced as one force upon jumping off their ships and onto shore, charging forward towards the barricades and two towers that laid in the distance…

However, what they were hit with was something they did not see coming. From atop the towers, not only were both Devastators firing at their targets, but so were the Arrow Launchers.

The Jomsvikings mounted atop the arrow killing machines kept loading stack after stack of arrows within the advanced weapons, putting dozens and dozens of arrows in at a time which were stored in large iron cartridges before rotating the levers to send volleys of arrows at the enemy, with four arrows sent out a second.

This first volley of arrow fire and Devastator fire from the Jomsvikings decimated the front line of the first wave, killing nearly half of the Vikings that were charging forth. It took a few moments for them to react to the weapons however as their shields became raised, and they attempted to continue the charge.

From afar, Stoick and Eret watched as their warriors were pummeled down by the enemy, and yet they still tried to stand their ground.

"By Thor's beard." Stoick gasped. "Ivar's new weapon is more deadly than I thought… the madboy just keeps getting smarter and stronger with his inventions."

"It's something not even I or my trappers could've thought of." commented Eret, unsheathing one of his short swords and shield. "But to Hel would I let my men fight without me. I must join the charge."

Stoick shook his head. "You're going to be massacred out there! Those ballistas fire more than just an arrow a second you know, and you will be impaled with them if you step a single foot onto that beach-"

"RETREAT!" a voice called out in the distance.

Stoick gazed onto the beach and saw to his shock that the first wave was beginning to route. More than half of the initial force had been slain, and those couple dozen warriors who made it to the barricades were easily cut down by the Jomsvikings, for they were no match for the warriors' elite skill.

The remainder of the first attack force ran towards shallow water and hid behind the wreckages, hiding from the overwhelming force that was being put onto them.

"Damn it!" grunted Stoick, unsheathing his axe as he marched forward to the front of the ship. "We need to stop the Jomsvikings NOW... Right then, Eret. Blow the horn, and call for a full on attack-!"

Just as he finished speaking, an arrow came whooshing by him at a fast speed to the point where he could barely react. Thankfully, the arrow missed him and had not found a target, but the Chief's blood boiled.

"Stoick?" questioned Eret.

"Do it!"

Eret said no more, and did as he was told. The attack horn was blown and all of the ships advanced forward to aid their allies, going at full sail towards the shore.

However, it wasn't meant for them to land without another attack from the sea. The second iron cog battleship had finished encircling the entire island, and it had spotted the Archipelago fleet. The Jomsvikings aboard the vessel rushed to man the Devastators, and soon enough a barrage of fire and metal had begun to rain down upon the fleet.

A warrior from afar shouted; "TAKE COVER!" only to have his ship and his crew take a hit, destroying the longship with a single blow and sinking all ten warriors to the bottom of the ocean.

Left and right, ships started to sink from cannon fire like flies being swapped to the side with a mace, and it was at this point that Stoick had to make a desperate decision. Either sail forward and risk being attacked from behind, or stop and order a massive barrage of catapult fire onto the iron cog.

It wouldn't be his choice however.

Suddenly out of nowhere, from all around, all noises would be interrupted with a familiar sound that crackled the very skies with a high pitched screech that kept getting higher and higher, along with the feeling of wind rushing by every warrior like a hurricane coming down from the North.

From above, Stoick could faintly make out the shadow of a familiar black Dragon… with his son riding it. Toothless and Hiccup swooped down from the clouds, and with a powerful charged plasma blast the Night Fury released it onto the cog battleship, causing a huge explosion of fire on deck which took out more than half the crew and the majority of the Devastators aboard.

Not even a moment after that passed by, and immediately the rest of the Dragon Riders came along to join the fun, finishing off the battleship as its sails burnt, right until it slowly started sinking.

The fleet by this point was feeling hopeful now that their backs were covered, but that did not mean that the battle was anywhere close to over. Each ship that still stood with their sails up however had made it to the beach head, and by this point - every warrior wanted to spill blood.

They cheered, letting out their war cries as they jumped off the longships, rallying together as one.

"VALHALLA AWAITS!" Dagur bellowed, his syllables short and separate, but his words filled with encouragement.

Alvin roared out his warcry, raising his axe up. "Let'z show these bastards wha' 'appens when 'ey MESS WIF THA' OUTCAST TRIBE!"

Stoick soon followed with the other Chieftains, jumping off the flagship, and roaring so loud that the heavens of Asgard could hear him. "ODIN, GUIDE MY STRIKES!"

And soon, the change began. All forces pressed forward, running faster than they could have ever imagined. Their feet felt like lightning, and their stomps like thunder. Despite gaining heavy arrow and Devastator fire from the war machines fixed atop the towers, giving them casualty after casualty; they still, no matter what, did not stop running.

"CHAAAARGE!" Stoick roared, rushing forward with his warriors as his archers soon began to fire back arrows and bolts at those from atop the towers.

The near full might of the Archipelago, their bloodlust, had just been unleashed as they closed in onto the enemy with hundreds of voices screaming, and soon enough; battle was joined, but not without an impact.

The Jomsvikings stuck their spears and halberds outwards in a phalanx, and instantly the very front line of the huge Viking wave was annihilated on both sides, but with minimal kills. That did not stop the attack.

Mogadon jumped right into the action with Bertha of the Bog Burglars. Their axes and shields raised up and out as they sliced through their foes whilst blocking and avoiding arrow fire. Although the Jomsvikings were equally matched to them, their over-multitasking would leave them exposed to attack.

Where a Jomsviking took on one or three Archipelago Vikings at a time, Bertha and Mogadon would take the opportunity to fully expose that opponent by either disarming them, tricking them, or getting them down to their knees before those who were fighting the elite warriors would finish them off.

Dagur, Heather, and his berserkers worked like a pack, like how a true Tribe would. Knowing that the majority of the Jomsvikings did not have the berserking bloodlust they had recently learnt, they would use this advantage and rush into battle feeling little to no pain.

Especially Dagur and Heather. Wielding a pair of axes in their hands they would ignore the weight of the weapons and instead adjust to them, going into a blade-frenzy and spinning them in circles like a bladestorm. Many of their hits would surprisingly find their mark.

Alvin worked spreading outwards with his Tribe. Knowing that there was fighting all over the place, he would use the environment as his advantage for his warriors.

Hills, gaps, boulders, and much of the terrain to his disposal. He would set up archers over slopes where they could get hits, and behind boulders for side and surprise attacks. He would flank his warriors around to surround the Jomsvikings, all whilst performing a shield wall to block all enemy fire, and this worked perfectly in his favor as he charged in with brute force, having no Jomsviking match his strength.

Eret and the Trappers did what they did best. Whenever a Jomsviking was occupied, they would go in and use themselves to take down the elite warrior as they would when pinning down a Dragon. They would throw spears, let loose dots; anything to take the enemy by surprise whilst all was going on around the Jomsvikings. They fought them like wolves.

Stoick and Hooligans however, out of the other Tribes, were doing drastically better in their own way. Although they fought with the others, they had a different kind of experience. Instead, they fought like their _enemy_. Weeks training on end with Magnus had earned them a boost in their senses and fighting styles, plus their discipline was as straight as a perfect spine. And although they had trouble dealing with the Jomsvikings like the others, that did not stop them.

Still, though the enemy down below wasn't much of a problem, up above in the towers, things were intensifying. The two Devastators firing from their towers began to increase their firepower, and the Arrow Launchers seemed to putting on more pressure to the warriors.

If it were to continue like this, a fourth of the Archipelago's army would be lost in not even five minutes timed.

Stoick by this point had enough. He rushed to the very front of the line in a frenzy, roaring his way there with his axe gripped tightly in his right hand, and with the force of ten Dragons he forced himself through the front line of the Jomsvikings, pushing six or so of them out of the way before chopping them up with his weapon while they were still pinned to the ground. A dent had been created on the left flank of the attack.

Warriors rushed through the opening, slicing up the Jomsviking battle line from the inside out, which in turn would deal a devastating blow to them and cause them to slowly begin retreating.

The Chief of Berk wasn't done there yet however. He rushed up the stairs of the watchtower, not caring of what there was at the top, and as he got to the roof of the structure, it was a massacre.

Four warriors attempted to corner him as they rushed from the war machines, charging him with their weapons raised, but their rushing without thinking left them exposed despite their well-made armor.

The Hooligan Chief, gripped his mighty battle axe with both his hands, and spun around in a cleaving, horizontal arc towards the Jomsvikings.

The swing itself was stronger than the elite warriors could have anticipated, because by the time they reach Stoick, their weapons were sliced into two at their hilts, and their chests bled heavily as they each fell to the ground - lifeless whilst the stronger Viking stood victorious over them.

From across the battlefield, things were beginning to stabilize for the allied forces. From above, Toothless and Hiccup swooped in with the other riders at tail, and just like with the previous battleship that sank, the tower exploded in fire as the warriors manning the war machines at the top burnt before they jumped off the tower screaming.

Finally, the balance of power began to turn, and a chain route began for the Jomsvikings as they attempted to retreat, only to be cut down.

Hiccup saw this all from above, and smirked. "Victory is at our hand." he said. "More than half of the Jomsvikings have been slain, and all that remains is getting into their fortress... Fishlegs?"

The large and young Viking clenched his fists in satisfaction. "Don't mind if I do. Let's do this Meatlug!"

The Gronckle gargled in pleasure, backing away from the group before both the Dragon and the Viking atop her charged the main gates.

While charging, Meatlug spewed forth hot lava blasts that melted against the iron of the gates, and as she closed in upon it, she turned around so that her tail stuck out straight, and like a mighty battering ram the gates were brought down upon impact.

Hiccup cheered, unsheathing both of his blades from his waist as Toothless flew down towards Fishlegs. "Alright, Bud. Let's take the ground for this one."

"Let's see what is behind that foul gate." said Magnus, determined to rush into the fortress and bring and end to it.

Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira and the Riders dismounted from their Dragons upon landing next to Fishlegs and Meatlug, with the son of the Chieftain of Berk being at the head of the charge. And as Stoick and the other Chieftains closed in with their forces, they charged right on in.

Upon entering, archer fire from both flanks began pummeling onto them from four watchtowers, but they would easily be taken care of in response to Dragon fire from Toothless and the other Dragons.

Upon opening his eyes in the fortress, Hiccup saw that which he could have never imagined seeing with his very eyes. The prison fortress was no mere prison; it was a giant forge.

In the center of the fortress was a giant quarry filled with at least three hundred prisoners doing certain operations. Mining, hulling rocks and metals with carts; all of them, forced to help forge weapons… it was a nightmare to Hiccup.

To his right, he could see where the Devastator he sabotaged made it's hit. A watchtower and a few huts laid in ruin, and the barracks seemed to have collapsed from the impact as it burnt.

However, the only structures that stood were the Blacksmith which was standing large and tall, likely housing many weapons, forges, and furnaces as smoke rose from the chimneys, the Jail, which extended underground...

...Then, there it was. The Stronghold stood at the very back of the fortress, enforced with iron and wood. It towered over the rest of the fortress, like a medieval castle over it's city, and there was no doubt that the General was hiding in there.

Hiccup, gazing upon the grand and horrid design of the fortress, nearly didn't notice Astrid tugging on his arm as the victorious armies of the Archipelago rushed forth towards the quarry and Stronghold, and those remaining Jomsvikings had surrendered.

"Come on, Hiccup." she said, getting his attention. "We're almost there. Let's finish this!"

From inside the Stronghold, the doors were jammed shut as a Jomsviking warrior came rushing in towards General Borgrin who stood in front of his throne with his commanders at his side, discussing tactics and the situation.

"General!" the warrior called out, stopping in front of him breathless. "Our army's been routed! We're defeated!"

"What!?" Borgrin exclaimed, stepping forward. "What do you mean we're defeated?"

"The infidels have breached our fortress! They've rallied in the quarry and are freeing the slaves and prisoners!"

Borgrin gasped, screaming "NO- GAAAH!" as he flipped a table. "If they gain access to the Jail and makeway underground, they're going to free the rest of the prisoners… their army will double and- GAH! Ivar will have my HEAD-!"

Suddenly, the doors to the Stronghold began to bust. The tables and objects blocking the doors began to push back and topple, until finally, they were busted opened as dozens and dozens of Vikings made their way in and surrounded the remaining Jomsvikings.

At the very front was Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins along with Stoick and the Dragons of whom were slowly marching towards Borgrin, not wasting their time to rush. It was a victory either way.

The Jomsvikings, being surrounded, made no other choice than to lay their weapons down, throwing them to the floor as they stuck up their hands. At least a hundred Archipelago Vikings now filled the hall of the Stronghold, and there was no way out.

Borgrin hissed, showing a pissed off expression towards Hiccup who was feet away from him, pointing the fiery Dragon's Blade towards the General's head. "You damn cowards, hiding behind your Dragons." the General grunted.

"The only cowards here, are those who hid behind the doors of their Stronghold like scared whelplings." spat back Hiccup, kicking the General's and forcing him down to his knees, making him kneel. "You have lost, General."

Borgrin chuckled. "I may have lost this battle, but we have not lost the war… Ivar will come for you all! This fortress is but a small demonstration of the horrors that lie ahead, and you have come too late to this place! The weapons forged here have already been shipped back to Scandinavia. I-!"

"... Enough." Hiccup interrupted after a short moment. And right as he brought the blade down through his chest, he said; "Know that you have not died in a proper battle, so I'm sure Odin knows where to put you."

And so, the Dragon's Blade found it's marked and stabbed through the General's chest, melting itself through his metal chest plate and gambeson, rendering him lifeless as he fell to the ground cold.

Hiccup looked up at the other Jomsvikings who surrendered, raising their hands up. At least twenty or so remained including the lieutenants…

...But, rather than executing them, Hiccup said two words to them. These words would finally show off the mercy that Hiccup failed to show before.

He stepped forward, and said calmly:

"Join us."


	36. The New Chieftain

**By the title of this chapter, some of you may be hyped, and some of you may have not much of a reaction, but all I can say is that by the end of this one - you'll all be in for a treat! Though whatever the case, I hope you still enjoy!**

 **Also, a thanks to KorrieChan, Trygve11, dabzzygirl, and especially Xythisdi1987 for the review last chapter! Seriously, guys. I'm glad you love it. And to Xythisdi1987, I'm glad you're liking this story so far! Your review put a smile on my face. :)**

 **Anywho though, let's continue onwards with our journey!**

* * *

That night, hundreds and hundreds of prisoners and slaves were freed from the Jomsvikings' grasp, and as the morning sun rose Hiccup could almost feel a sense of relief from the aftermath of the suicide mission that he and his friends had to endure.

However, he knew in his mind that this conflict was nowhere near to over. They had a long way to go.

As he stared out to sea from atop the side beach's hill with Toothless, just by the ruined watchtower, he began hearing several pairs of footsteps come over towards him from behind. Turning around he saw Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Magnus and Eira with their Dragons too by their sides.

They looked exhausted.

"So, I assume the freed slaves and prisoners have been accounted for?" asked Hiccup, turning his back away from the group as he laid eyes upon them.

"Aye, it was quite a round up." Snotlout nodded, approaching Hiccup. "More than a thousand were released from their chains. If anything, it almost seemed like two thousand."

"Almost or… definite?"

"Almost perhaps." replied Astrid. "But maybe definite. What we do know is that the three remaining Viking Tribes were set free, though there's one of them I don't recognize…"

Hiccup raised a brow. "Who did we set free?"

Fishlegs spoke up. "The Northlander and Thunderhead Tribes were set free, along with any remaining warriors from the Berserker, Outcast, Meathead, and Bogs Burglar Tribes who were kept on this island. Plus, all of the surviving folk from our allies that we found were also set free, and they're already in the midst of being sent back to their Tribal islands."

"That's nearly half of the prisoners that were imprisoned here. That's good news I'd say." said Hiccup.

"Aye, it is. Stoick right now however is discussing peaceful terms with the Northlander and Thunderhead Chieftains of whom were imprisoned; Snorre and Arngrim."

Fishlegs paused for a moment. "However, then there is this new Tribe which Astrid mentioned that we don't recognize. They call themselves the Defenders of the Wing, though we immediately gained their trust after freeing them."

"That's… quite odd, Fishlegs." said Hiccup. "Why would they instantly agree to allying with us after freeing them? It's not like they know us."

"Well, here's the thing; these guys, they actually treat Dragons like they were their friends and allies."

The scrawny lad's eyes widened a bit. "...Like us?"

"Like us." Astrid said, arms crossed. "When they saw our Dragons coming in with us by their side, their Chieftess, especially their Chieftes- or well, Queen, instantly grew a liking - seeing as how we Humans and Dragons fought side by side in this dark hour. And so, we have gained not only their trust, but as well as secured an alliance with them."

Hiccup exhaled, smiling "That is excellent news."

"That it is." Magnus responded. "Though I think it's time we get things settled back down below. No doubt Stoick would want us to help him regroup and tend to our warriors' wounds. We lost about two hundred men in that battle. Stoick had to call for reinforcements from Berk, but I don't know how many will come."

Hiccup turned to face Toothless, and the Dragon motioned him to mount up. "We'll see. For now, let's waste no further time. Mount up!." he said, loud and clear. "We must get moving."

"Aye, there isn't a single moment to lose…" nodded Magnus, just as he turned his head to face east. "Though... you go on without me. There's something that I want to see."

…

* * *

"There is no way that I'll ally with some Berkian scum in this conflict of yours." exclaimed Arngrim, crossing his arms with his brows lowered. "This is not our war. This is _your_ war."

The Riders and their Dragons stood with Stoick, gathered at the docks where the remnants of the structures that Hiccup and the others destroyed burnt dimly. They stood and sat circled around the bonfire, discussing as rain fell from above, but not in the best manner.

"Our war is about to become yours as well, Arngrim and Snorre." replied Stoick, motioning his finger at both the Chieftains. "You cannot sit idle and wait out the storm. Our enemy is bringing the storm, and it is vast."

"Not unless we sit by and _not_ interfere." spoke Snorre, pacing slowly back and forth. "You brought forth an army of ill-equipped and unprepared warriors who were nearly slaughtered. You don't understand what we were FORCED to forge for them in this prison fortress. Those two hundred Jomsviking bastards nearly broke us."

Astrid stared at Snorre. "And yet in the end, we broke them, Chieftain. Your people were the ones that were unprepared when the enemy arrived. We-"

"Mind your tongue, girl." the Viking snarled. "You're talking to two of the most dangerous Chieftains in the Archipelago right now."

Ruffnut chuckled. "Funny the way I see it, because these two _unprepared_ nuthead Chieftains were easily overwhelmed by a _more dangerous_ foe."

A series a light chuckles followed from the Riders as the two Chiefs stood in embarrassment from the Thorston's words. Who knew that a Thorston would have the words to describe them without flaw? The thought just made Snorre filled with more anger.

"Now listen here you damn Dragon lover. If you think that you're in any way or form able to talk about me like that, you are mistaken. Another word from you and I'll-"

"And you'll have your own life risked for nothing." said the distant voice of a woman.

Everyone immediately turned their heads towards the direction of where the side gates stood, and from afar they saw the Queen of the Defenders of the Wing walking towards them with who appeared to be her right hand at her side.

"Stand down, Snorre. If you take up arms against these warriors, then know that your life will be met to a swift end. Your skill is hardly of match to them. Wouldn't you agree, Throk?"

"Indeed, my Queen." replied the man who stood next to her.

Hiccup's eyes fell on the two Vikings. Upon inspection, all he could think to himself was that the armor, and the style by the way they looked, it was unlike anything he had seen before.

"You're the Queen of the Defenders?" the young lad asked, leaned down as he was petting Toothless.

"That I am, Hiccup Haddock. And I see you've already settled with your Dragons."

His right brow arched. "You know me?"

"That we do." said Throk, nodding. "Your father has told us about you. Your deeds during the Siege of Berk against the enemy, as well as tonight's attack has made you the stuff of legend. Your name has been said many times throughout our ranks-"

"Pardon me, strangers." interrupted Snorre, stepping forward. "But who do you think you are to just come in and interrupt our conversation?"

Throk scoffed. "Conversation? That seemed more like an argument. And from how I see it, you interrupted me. If I were you, I'd remain quiet so that you could let me finish before I get blood all over your pretty hides."

Arngrim sighed, approaching the Thunderhead Chieftain. "Snorre, maybe you should back off-"

"Shut up, Arngrim!" the Chieftain once more interrupted. "This isn't about you! It's about me!"

"No, you fool!" shouted Hiccup, standing to his feet. "...It's about all of us. All of this time you argued, you've done nothing but whine about yourself and how you should stay out of this mess. Well the time has come for you to understand that you cannot stay like this forever!"

Snorre, for once looked at the young lad with curiosity. "What are you talking about, boy?"

"...Ivar the Boneless, the one who leads this great army, will not back down until we're done for." he said, loud and clear. "Don't you understand? He will keep invading the Archipelago until we are finished, or until we submit to him as his slaves. His eyes have fallen directly onto us, because not only is the wealth of the Archipelago combined vital to him, but so too are the islands and their resources, along with the Dragons."

"Gah! Realize that he will stop until he grows tired of it, boy."

Hiccup shook his head. "That's the thing. He will never stop, Snorre. And this is why we've called you and Arngrim here to ask for your help… The Vikings of Scandinavia, the Barbarians of Germania, the Slavic Rus' of Kiev; they all stand behind him. Thousands of them. And only by working together, with not numbers, but combined strength can we beat them, and we need to beat them if your people are going to survive."

Snorre remained silent as he began thinking about it for a moment. To him, there was a sense of truth in Hiccup's words, and it was hard to find any flaws at that point. But what would his people think if he went to war against an all-powerful enemy?

Arngrim however gave a light exhale as he nodded his head. "Perhaps… he is right." he responded, breaking the silence.

"If we sit by and let these Tribes do the work alone, what chance is there that _we_ will survive? If the boy's words are indeed true, then that Viking army will likely return greater than before, and they will do things to us that will be worse than what they did to us here. And if we do sit idle, then perhaps we definitely deserve to be the last of our kind."

All that came out from Snorre's mouth was a "Hmm…" as he thought about it. From the way he now saw it, perhaps it was time to get in on this conflict. In any case if Berk and it's allies failed and lost the war, then any remaining Viking in the Archipelago would become the last to ever exist, and hundreds of generations of Archipelago Vikings would be lost.

Snorre, seeing no other option, sighed as he turned towards Stoick and reached out his hand. "Very well, Haddock." he said. "If what you and your son here say is true, then I will die fighting alongside my own kind to ensure my people's survival. I will fight."

"Same here…" said Arngrim, now reconsidered. "And all of which I said about you, I now take it back."

Stoick nodded as he turned to face Snorre, firmly grasping his hand and shaking it before turning to Arngrim and shaking his hand as well.

Hiccup sighed with relief, gazing at the Queen and at Throk with a smirk, approaching them.

"You have my thanks, Throk and…"

It took a short moment at first, but the Queen chuckled upon realization. "Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to present myself: My name is Mala, Queen and Chieftess of the Defenders of the Wing. I am at your service if need be as thanks for saving my life, the life of my right hand, and my people."

"Alright, I guess I can cope with that." Hiccup replied. "But… what about your people? The villagers and denizens of your island. Shouldn't you assign someone to take over while you're away fighting alongside us with your forces?"

"Well, you can say we already have." replied Mala. "The Great Protector of our island, who we have cared for, has helped protect my people from danger over the years he has stood. We see him as a leader, and thus we rely on him. Any danger that comes will be responded by him, but that is not the point right now."

"Hm? Not the point? What do you mean?"

"Your friend Magnus sent me. He wants to see you as there's something he wants to show you… make sure to bring your friends along too."

…

* * *

Magnus and Eira stood atop the cliffs that overlooked the beachhead where the main fighting down below took place, but the area itself of which they stood on was a plateau that they had not discovered before. Surprisingly, it was the only part of the island that had grass.

Where they stood however was in the midst of a former Jomsviking camp that now laid in ruins, housing at least a hundred tents or so with a few small wooden structures; specifically a lumber mill and a smithy.

Hiccup and the Riders stood before the two Vikings, and yet they gazed at them with concerned and questioning looks, because all around them they saw people, specifically former prisoners, inhabiting and manning the ruined tents and structures. What were they doing here - especially out in the rain?

"Magnus." began Hiccup. "Why have you brought us here? There's nothing here but burnt tents all around us… more importantly however; what are these men and women doing here? Shouldn't they be making their way back to their home islands?"

"...I am not the one you should be asking." the older lad replied to him. "However, I brought you here so that Sigurd could talk to you about something."

"Sigurd?" the Riders questioned in unity.

Hiccup looked around him. "And who might this Sigurd be?"

"I am." a voice said from behind the backs of Magnus and Eira, and came along a figure who stood between the two Vikings. Before them was a young man who looked no older than Magnus' age, but no younger than Ivar's.

He wore a blue linen long-sleeved shirt, along with a brown woolen gambeson, a pair of leather wristguards and leggings, and sturdy leather boots. His eyes were light blue, and his hair was blonde and long which extended down above his shoulders with braids, and as well as down near his upper back.

"Sigurd, Hiccup Haddock. Hiccup, Sigurd Argarnsson."

He looked at the young Vikings with his head up, though part of him looked exhausted.

"Well, at least you now know my name." he said, loud enough and clear to the Riders. "But as you can see, my people and I were former prisoners who by force were worked into forging weapons for Ivar's destructive war machine, but now we are released from his chains. However, because we are now freed to act on our own, we have decided that we want to come with you and assist you in this war of yours."

"Come with us, to Norway?" asked Astrid. "Why would you want to come with us? Shouldn't you and your people prepare to make way back to your island where it's much safer?"

"Well, we can't. And that is because… we have nowhere to go." he answered before pointing his head towards Magnus. "He is the one who we owe our lives to, because he rescued us! And after we found out that he was from Kattegat and who he was, as well as the first one who spoke out against Ivar, we just had to follow him."

Hiccup scoffed. "What, you found out that he was a blacksmith before- Wait! How do you know that he was…?"

His words slipped from his mouth as he gazed at Sigurd, curious and wondering how he knew Magnus was from Kattegat, and that was until he realized the sudden truth. He knew exactly why they couldn't return.

"Wait, are you saying that-"

"Yes, Haddock." Sigurd nodded, taking a soft step forward. "We were part of the Völsung Clan."

The Riders gasped at Sigurd's response.

"Völsung?" asked Snotlout, with excitement filling in his voice. "That's Ivar's Clan. Which means that you're all from Scandinavia! But how did you…?"

"Ivar betrayed us." Sigurd sighed with a grunt. "We were loyal to him until the end, until he threw us aboard prison longships and sailed us out to this godsforsaken place. We spoke out because we did not want another war! We lost our previous war in England, and we knew speaking out was the right thing to do…"

He paused for a moment, grunting once more. "But young Boneless was too proud, too confident that he could forge a Viking kingdom larger than anything before… he should've just stepped away from fighting and looked towards farming, just like how his father Ragnar became one himself."

"Hey, I would become a farmer of boars!" spoke out Tuffnut. "Then I could get a boar pit and sit back whilst-"

"TUFF!" interrupted Hiccup.

"Alright, alright! Geesh!"

The young lad sighed, turning back towards Sigurd. "So if you have nowhere else to go but with us, what do you propose to do?" he said before asking sarcastically; "Become farmers and farm everywhere we go until we make all of Norway into a farming community?"

Sigurd shook his head. "That's a funny question, but not well thought out. Please, allow me to show you..."

The blonde young man then turned to face towards those who were near them, and immediately the men and women all around began to close in on the group, armed with swords, shields, and axes in their hands.

At first, the Riders went into alerting states, along with the Dragons who lit their mouths with fire, placing their hands on the hilts of their weapons for defense, but Sigurd placed his hands up in front of him to indicate the younger Vikings to relax.

"Stand down. We're not going to attack you, I just want to show you..." he said to them, being truthful with his words, and eventually the Riders slowly lifted their hands away from their weapons and down by their sides. The Dragons too responded by standing down, seeing as how Sigurd's words sounded honest.

They looked around them and saw how the men and women gazed upon them with ease and innocent, tired looks, now noticing that their weapons were not tightly gripped. However their focus was not just on Hiccup and the Riders, but also Magnus and Eira.

"As you can see, we're also fighters." said Sigurd, getting closer to Hiccup. "We've fought and bled on many battlefields in the past for the Völsung Clan, and now we want to show those fools who backstabbed us what happens when they go against their own kind."

His hand fell on the young lad's shoulder. "Let us fight with you, Hiccup Haddock. Together, we can take down Ivar, and end his reign of tyranny. We will fight alongside your Tribe, and as well as with the other Tribes under a _new_ Völsung banner, and we will have a Chief to lead us into battle until the end."

It was then that Sigurd turned and stared back at Magnus. "He will be our Chieftain."

Magnus' eyes widened, and his expression immediately became surprised. The former fighting warriors and maidens of the Völsung Clan, who spoke out as he did, now offer to fight FOR him. He went from a blacksmith to a warrior when he came to Berk, and now he was about to become a Chieftain?

Hiccup was not sure what to say or even think of this, but he was certain now that if the former warriors of the Völsung Clan fought for Magnus, and as a whole fought alongside with the Tribes, then Ivar would definitely be having a taste of his own steel.

"How many do you have with you, Sigurd?" asked Hiccup.

"...Five hundred warriors and maidens. And _all of us_ will assist you in this war." he replied to Hiccup, smirking.

And so, with a grin on his face, he nodded and bowed his head towards the warrior, before responding with eagered words; "Welcome to the fight, Viking." and shaking Sigurd's hand.

Sigurd laughed, giving Hiccup a rough pat on the shoulder with his other hand which nearly knocked the breath out of him. "My thanks be with you, Hiccup Haddock!"

"No… problem…" he groaned until gaining back his breath and standing to his feet, but the grin still stuck to his face.

The blonde Viking walked towards Magnus, stopping ten feet away from him and Eira.

"We are all yours to command, Magnus. _All five hundred_ of us will be with you and the Tribes as a whole until the end. We shall aid you and stand behind you in every battle you face. We will be your sword, and be your shield in the fights ahead. But until then…"

He unsheathed his sword from around his waist, lifting it up in the air and saluting Magnus before shouting loud and clearly; "LONG, LIVE, THE CHIEFTAIN!"

All five hundred warriors and maidens raised their weapons high, cheering for Magnus who looked upon all of them with proud eyes. For the first time in his life, he found the _real_ respect and honor within the Scandinavian Vikings whom had shown only barbarism in his past, and now it was time for him and them to show Ivar who the true Völsung really were.

"They are really into you, Magnus." said Eira, smiling. "And now we have a bigger army at our backs... Lead these men and women to victory."

And that he would. In his ears, the chanting words from the warriors and maidens that kept echoing proved how eager they were to follow him.

"LONG LIVE THE CHIEFTAIN! LONG LIVE CHIEF MAGNUS!"


	37. Admitting Feelings

**I will admit, this chapter is long for two reasons. One reason being the planning of something big that will happen _next_ chapter, and as well as the introduction of- *HIC* ...Sorry, the hiccups. But you guys will see eventually, later in this chapter!**

 **Also, there's two minor timeskips in this. And, apologies for any grammatical errors.**

 **ALSO, thanks to Xythisdi1987, and KorrieChan for the reviews last chapter! You guys are great. Please stay great! :)**

 **Now, without further ado, let's get right back into the story!**

* * *

Five days had passed by since Hiccup, along with his friends and the other Tribes took Black Rock Isle, as well as topple the fortress' defenses, and already the armies of the Archipelago Tribes were starting to amass...

With the remaining warriors of the Outcast, Berserker, Meathead, and Bog Burglar Tribes freed, along with the Northlanders, Thunderheads, and the Defenders of the Wings released from their chains, more than twelve hundred warriors were recruited into the fight, doubling the Tribes' numbers.

The army as a whole excluded the Tribespeople and folk of every Tribe, of whom were sent back to their home islands to start their lives once more...

The former Völsung warriors and maidens, now known as the Warsung Tribe led by the young and more experienced Chief Magnus, were as well now involved in the war against Ivar. Over five hundred of them, as well as the twenty Jomsvikings that surrendered to Hiccup, were now at the backs of the Tribes with Magnus.

Together, the combined armies of the Archipelago were nearly three times the strength, and three times the numbers than they were before, giving them a higher fighting chance against Ivar and his Great Viking Army.

But for Hiccup however, his fight was still raging on, and it was struggling inside of him.

He could still remember how he was treated back in Kattegat. He remembered how he was beaten and whipped by the Slavemaster Olaf who was now suffering in Helheim. And most of all, he remembered how grey and dull his life was there, despite having an excellent hygiene like the other folk of Kattegat had, and then eventually it all led to him sailing and running away for his life.

That all happened nearly a month ago…

Hiccup stared down at his bowl of stew as he sat with his friends at a table in the Stronghold, and with his spoon he meddled with the hot dish, spinning it in circles and mixing it around. Clearly, he was not hungry.

From his right, Astrid noticed how the scrawny Viking did not once touch his food, compared to how Toothless was gobbling down fish with the other Dragons in the dimly lit corner of the hall and how the others silently ate - thus, she became curious.

"Are you alright, Hiccup?" she asked, breaking the silence. "You haven't said a word since we started eating, and you haven't touched your stew once."

"I'm not hungry, Astrid…" he replied, turning his gaze towards the Black Dragon who was feasting on fish. He shook his head. "Look, I simply don't have the stomach to eat right now, Astrid. There's something inside of me that I just can't get out. After all we went through in this... _nightmare_ of war, it's just that- ...I feel different."

Snotlout sighed. "Hiccup, this is the last time we will even be feasting for a while. Tomorrow will be a fight that will determine whether we will get to move forward, or whether we'll be annihilated to extinction."

"I know, I know. But I simply can't get this thought out of me… And yet, I also still wonder: what will it even be like when I approach Ivar once more? When the time comes that it will be just me and him, what will happen?"

"You, will be the one who will win." said Ruffnut, joining in. "You have more yak guts than that crippled dude will ever have. He probably can't lift a boar or sheep without meat in his legs."

"I don't see how that's relevant-"

"Hel, he probably couldn't lift a yak." commented Tuffnut, before receiving a high-five from Ruffnut, though also interrupting Hiccup in the process. "Yeah, he's not as strong as our third Uncle Thorston."

"Uncle who-?" asked Astrid, slightly irritated.

"Our third Uncle Thorston." repeated Tuffnut. "According to one of our distant cousins, he had the strength to lift one yak in each of his hands, with two yaks in total, and he was even able to throw them two dozen yards in the air; high and forward like a catapult. Yeah… he was quite a legend."

"Oh please!" scoffed Snotlout. "You two do realize that throwing two yaks with one hand each in the air is impossible! Only a giant from Jotunheim could ever have such strength; but _that_ is not the point right now. We were talking about Ivar."

Fishlegs sighed. "Should we really continue this discussion? The slight mention of him makes my stomach ache with dread. I don't want to even know what he looks like-"

"-Blue eyes, short dark blonde hair that's nearly brunette and combed back, pale skin, muscular arms, tall in height, and barely any flesh in his legs. That's all you need to know."

"Aaaaand I think I just lost my appetite." Fishlegs replied, giving off a slight shiver from Hiccup's description, though the auburn-haired Viking shrugged as it wasn't even meant to be _that_ frightening.

Snotlout however followed with a small grumble. "Mine too." he said. "There's nothing to do here but sit and talk about our own things. What we need to do is discuss further on the more important matters that are at hand."

Hiccup sighed as he slurped on a quick spoonful of stew, despite not being hungry, before standing from his seat and proceeding to walk out. "You guys can do that, but I'm not interested right now."

Astrid looked at Hiccup, still concerned. "Wait, where are you going?"

"For a flight, to get some fresh air." he replied back, now gazing at his Dragon. "I need it to help me think about all of this. Come on, Toothless."

...

* * *

"You all know why we're gathered here today." began Stoick. "And there is no doubt that you all have further questions to ask and have answered."

Dagur nodded. "Well it's been a while since we've had our last battle discussion. And what I'm eager to see is more blood on the battlefield! Hahahaha!"

"Blood? That's not the point right now..." sighed Mala. "All _ten_ of us were gathered here to plan out our next battle, so it is best we get to the point, and then we'll ask our questions."

"Aye. I agree wif 'er." replied Alvin.

"Same." said Bertha. "Now, what's the plan?"

Stoick exhaled, nodding his head. "Right. So as you all know, Ivar is still not backing down after all the resistance we've shown so far. Despite us making the preparations we need for our invasion, and amassing our forces, the heathen still outnumbers us at about eight to one, with an arsenal of war machines at his back, as well as an armada of hundreds of ships."

"So…?" asked Snorre. "What do we do, then? Where do we need to strike first?"

"There is an important point of attack along the central shores of Norway. According to our friend Magnus here, the Vikings of Norway months back had set up a war-port in a region with cliffs, forests, and hilly plains. The port of Skyrsdok, which is our target, holds a fleet of twenty longships and an iron cog ship along it's piers, so destroying them will be vital to our attack."

"So how do we get into port's hold?" asked Mogadon.

"We can only try to break through." answered Stoick. "The cliff which is located east of the port holds a watchtower atop of it, and it _will_ watch every single move we do. Our Dragons and their Riders cannot destroy it from the air however. If they're spotted, they'll be easily shot down. We need to take it out _by foot_ if we're to allow our Dragons to destroy the docked fleet, and have a fighting chance."

"So what would ya 'ave us do?" asked Alvin.

"Further east of Skyrsdok, there is a long and wide beach that spreads for hundreds of yards, which is surrounded by a large hill and the same cliff on both sides, and further beyond that is a small pinewood forest, and the opened plains. It is said to be defenseless, thus we will use that to our advantage."

Stoick pointed towards the hand-made map. "We'll land here, and from there Hiccup will circle around through the forest with a small but elite group while we divert the enemy. _We_ can easily follow the shore down towards the main beach and docks and fight in the wide opened area there. As for Hiccup, him starting out will be the easy part."

Arngrim sighed. "What's the hard part for the lad, then? Going through a bloody death-path?"

"...Sort of." replied Magnus. "Once Hiccup begins to circle around, it is possible that the enemy could ambush him from all sides. As far as I am aware, the pinewood forest is extremely dense, and although it is enough for a small group of men to rush through quickly, he'll still be vulnerable."

Stoick nodded his head in agreement. "Aye, indeed he'll be opened for attack. But once he reaches the end of the forest, there should be a way up the cliff towards the watchtower where he can destroy it - and then he can proceed to bombard the fleet with the Dragons before flanking around."

Mala spoke up once more. "What do we do after that? Storm the hold?"

"Aye. We'll take it and use it as our base of operations… if, all goes according to plan. We can only hope that Ivar doesn't know that we're going to attack Skyrsdok. For all we know, he could flank from the east and run down the hill with his forces like an avalanche..."

…

* * *

"Skyrsdok." said Ivar as he leaned over his table. "There's no doubt that the fool Hiccup and his allies will plan to attack there."

The four High Chieftains sat around the battle table in a circle, with Ivar in the center overlooking the warmap. So far, the young King had been planning out his moves with a quick but careful and intelligent mind, and much had been planned down already.

"I don't see why they would attack there. It doesn't have that many men, therefore it's not important." said Karvein of the Bloody Berserkers.

Ivar grunted. "And that's _exactly_ the reason why they'll attack there, Karvein." he replied. "They know that they can breach the hold despite it being well fortified, and after they've chipped away at our forces stationed there, they'll try and take it."

"So I assume we'll have to take them by surprise?" asked Vlar of the Iron Wolf, earning a nod from the King.

"Correct." he said. "There is a reason why I had improvements made to the hold two weeks ago. Camps representing each of your Clans are based outside it from one location; from within the forest. That also includes another quarry for you Vlar, and as well as that arena Hjalmar was bragging about. That, is exactly what that infidel Hiccup will go through in an attempt to circle around us, all whilst our forces there will be "occupied" with his main force."

"So what do you have in mind, son of Lothbrök?" asked Frode, Chieftain of the Dark Eye Clan.

"What we will do is intercept them and take them by surprise." replied Ivar. "Two and a half thousand warriors will be waiting on the beach that lays further east from Skyrsdok; no doubt Hiccup and his army will land there. Our forces will begin to fight them from there so that they don't advance along the shore to the docks. For every man and woman that falls, two more will take their place."

Hjalmar rose to speak up. "And you are sure that this will work, my King? The last plan failed and our enemies took Black Rock Isle… with a cost."

"Don't question my methods, Hjalmar." Ivar replied back, giving a light growl. "I've planned this out perfectly. When we arrive to surprise our enemy, they'll be running for their lives like little children when our full might is unleashed upon them. They'll likely run for the highlands."

"Do we chase them down once they run?" questioned Frode, only to receive a 'no' from Ivar as he shook his head.

"Let them run, so that they understand that where I tread, life dies. When we come in with our main force from the east, they will shiver in fear and beg for mercy…"

"But I, will deny them that mercy. Until then however, here are your orders. Rally your warriors, and prepare to march tomorrow morning. I want our forces prepared, and I want a longship ready for my departure from Skyrsdok with Bludvist, for… reasons."

The Chieftains saluted in response to Ivar's orders. And it was until Vlar rose to speak up that they knew what the fight was going to be like.

"How many warriors do you want us to bring, King Ivar?" the Chieftain of the Iron Wolf asked.

"...All of them. Every Clan. Every Tribe. Every Chieftain! Let them all charge upon our enemies like a wave!"

...

* * *

Hiccup sat atop a lonesome sea stack, just off the coast of Black Rock Isle, and alone with his Dragon - Toothless, who laid there with him, gazing out to sea as he did. The young lad all the meanwhile was thinking on whatever was popping up in his mind. There was much for him to express.

"Toothless." he said softly, catching the Night Fury's attention. "Have you… ever had that feeling where you feel empty and dead inside from so much going on? The loneliness from all the conflict? The insanity that could take you over at any point..."

The Black Dragon looked up at Hiccup, and crooned with concern and worry towards the down and stressed scrawny Viking. He slowly stood up and approached the lad, rubbing his head against him and giving him a light bump.

Hiccup smiled slightly, but his feeling still didn't change. "Well, seems like I feel that way. Ever since I left Berk, the only place in this world where I first saw and felt the warm sunlight hit my face, and the only place that I could ever call home, I've felt... cold - like I was back in the grey and old streets of Kattegat, where only the brutality from other Vikings and folk was all I knew. No remorse. No shame… and no pity."

He sighed, looking down towards the white and gray ocean. "I'm just so… distant from those I care for. From those I love. Hel, what would I tell Astrid when I told her that I-"

"Tell me what?" a distant voice asked from behind. Hiccup turned around, and instantly he saw the familiar scrawny, blonde-haired, blue-eyed figure flying in on her Nadder. It was Astrid, atop her Dragon.

As she dismounted, Toothless quickly rose to all fours and ran over to Astrid's Nadder, giving her a warm hello. Immediately, the two Dragons began to play around.

Astrid then proceeded to walk over and sit next to Hiccup, who at first hid his expression - though it would not take long for her to actually notice. As she sat down left from him, she asked; "So… how's everything holding up for you?"

"Ah- well, a-all is fine." he replied, slightly stuttering. "H- how about you?"

"All is well." she said to him. "Stormfly and I have been flying around all day, and it seems like she's still well up and on her feet- or well, claws. You know."

"Stormfly? So you finally thought up of a name for your Dragon?" Hiccup asked, earning a nod from Astrid. "That… that's great! It actually fits your Dragon I will admit, and well- ...Yeah."

It was then that Astrid began to notice the negative and downed expression in Hiccup's eyes. She leaned forward a bit, and stared directly to her right to get a look at his face. She frowned not in disappointment or irritation, but in the same worry and concern that Toothless had earlier.

"Alright, what's wrong, Hiccup?"

"Hm- huh? Oh, uh- nothing's wrong Astrid. It's just that…" He immediately lost his words, realizing that he could not hide his feelings. And so, he looked directly back at her and shook his head slowly.

"I have felt… distant and lonely, Astrid." he replied to her. "Every since we left Berk, I've felt like I've left home because… well, Berk _is_ my home. It was the only place in this world where I felt safe from my former tormenter. And now that we're going to Norway to fight Ivar, I just fear on what will happen if we lose - whether I'll die… or worse, become his puppet once again."

"We _won't_ lose." she said to him, assuringly.

"Yeah, but… _what if_ we do?" he asked, sounding doubtful.

A small moment of silence passed, and he was now looking directly into Astrid's light blue eyes. "The only thing that's been keeping my sanity together on this journey however, was the thought of my Dad, my best friend Toothless, my friends, and… well, you. I've thought of you because you were the one most of all who helped me stay together during all of _this,_ down to the bottom of my heart, Astrid. You helped me stay and become who I am."

...Those words nearly melted Astrid's heart. It had been a long while - nearly a month - ever since she started thinking about Hiccup; and it was only mere days after he had just arrived on Berk from the great beyond, from a land that the Vikings of the Archipelago had long thought to have just been a myth. And yet throughout all of this struggle, she still thought about him, everyday.

His words, to her, was the best blessing she could have ever had. His admittance for her was obvious. But the feeling he was still expressing, it made her slightly shake and shiver.

"But, yeah. Hopefully you can get what I am trying to say, Astrid." he continued. "But right now I just… don't know what to do. I don't want to feel lonely for the rest of my life, during this conflict, or even after it. I don't know how to-"

A sudden finger touched his lips lightly, hushing him and ceasing him to talk. "Don't say anything." she replied, as she helped him to his feet, just as how he helped her to her feet.

At that moment, the two young Vikings could not lay their eyes off one another. It was as if a spell had fixtated them on each other, and it was too strong to even change or break.

...She then spoke lightly to him.

" _You_ have helped make me into who I am, Hiccup." she said to him. "Ever since my parents my died years ago, and the rest of my family became lost in legends, _you, were the one who kept me together._ I could not stop thinking about you, ever since you and I started hanging out together, and I can never repay you with anything but _my heart_."

Hiccup slightly gasped at her last words, anxious to know what she meant. "W-What are you saying, Astrid? Are you…"

"...I love you, Hiccup Haddock."

Both their hearts melted completely, and their minds softened. Hiccup felt his hands fall into Astrid's hands, and Astrid's fell into his. The two raised their hands up to their chests, and Hiccup in response grasped her hands tightly - but with much ease. He looked back into her eyes and said slowly:

"I… love you too, Astrid Hofferson."

Astrid smiled as a feeling she thought that she would never feel again coursed through her stomach and nerves, and slowly but surely, the two moved their heads closer together… until their lips met.

They kissed as dusk fell upon them, and the sinking sun behind the grey but colorful clouds reflected their passion for each other. Their love.

Their kiss was long, but eventually their lips separated from one another. However, their heads did not separate. They kept looking at one another as the sun fell, and the moonlight rose along with light, falling snow.

The two got closer together as they sat down in each other's arms, looking out to sea…

…

* * *

 _Five days later…_

Hiccup and Astrid held their hands tight together as they sailed through the opened ocean, with their friends and Dragons at their sides. The banners and flags of all the Tribes of the Archipelago were raised, and the colors seemed to be flying higher than ever.

Ever the Warsung Tribe, led by Magnus and Eira, with their fifty Scandinavian-like longships flew their banners high in the air. Their symbol was that of a sun surrounded by a white vortex with swirling rays, and the background was blue just like how the sun in the center of it was.

It was the middle of the day, and rain fell upon the army with ease, but it also felt like a storm. The warriors and maidens from every Tribe were all prepared for the battle that was ahead, and yet they all knew that the fight would be a heavy and bloody one.

Stoick was the one who was leading the charge. His large longship stood at the very front of the entire fleet, which was the same ship that Hiccup and Astrid were aboard.

Stoick sniffed the air deeply, inhaling the atmosphere they were. "The real storm is just up ahead." he said. "As far as I can see, the beach is no more than two miles away or so. We're almost there."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other, squeezing their hands tightly. "Are you ready for this?" Hiccup asked her.

"I'm with you." she replied, before turning their heads forward.

After a long moment passed by, Stoick sighed and ran up to the very front of the ship, rushing up to it's high ground so he could speak out loud to the whole fleet. At first he hesitated, as he figured that perhaps his inspiration of words alone might not be enough…

...But to Hel with it, he spoke regardless.

"DEFENDERS OF BERK!" he bellowed. "WARRIORS OF THE WARSUNG, BERSERKERS OF THE BERSERKER TRIBE, BRAVE MEN OF THE OUTCAST TRIBE, AND VIKINGS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO!"

He waited another moment, catching his breath.

"It has been too long since we ran like cowards!" he announced, roaring. "We _hid_ on lonesome rocks we called islands, while the enemy rushed in to destroy our _real homes!_ The islands of which WE were born on! ...But today, that ends! Today, we make our mark in Viking history as we invade the heathens that dare to take all that we hold dear! We shall protect all that is precious to us, and all that which identifies us as who we are!"

With a great huff of air, he would then unsheath his axe and raise it high into the air, further bellowing inspiration to his allies. "TODAY, WE WILL SHOW THE WORLD, THE MIGHT, OF A TRUE VIKING! FOR THE ARCHIPELAGO!"

Thousands of Vikings cheered to Stoick's speech, gaining the influence and encouragement they needed, the inspiration that they were hoping to find along the distant yet desperate journey to Norway for their first _real_ attack. Today, they would make history for the Archipelago. They would-

Suddenly, from afar in the distance behind the mists that laid in front of the fleet, large multiple lights sparked up for a quick moment, and large booms were heard like thunder as the clouds and mists all around them soon lit up with flames. Toothless and the other Dragons growled, and from up ahead, a dozen large projectiles of fire and iron came flying at the fleet, hitting and sinking only five ships, but still setting a few of them aflame.

"WE'RE UNDER FIRE!" a warrior called out.

"We need water! NOW!" another called out.

Everyone, especially Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, the Riders, and the Chieftains, looked at each other with slight fear and anxiety as the mists in front of them soon cleared and unveiled the beach that they were _supposed_ to land at. A horror now laid there.

Before them, thousands of warriors stood, roaring and cheering their battlecries whilst Devastators fired upon the allied fleet. Their numbers were _nearly_ equal to that of the army of the Archipelago, which the Tribes had so desperately mustered up, but it was not enough to stop their advance, or to even halt them.

The warriors and maidens of the Tribes roared back in response, showing the enemy that they were ready to take them on, and give them everything that they had.

Magnus, the Chieftain of the Warsung, quickly turned around to face his left hand commander. "Sigurd, tell the men to get ready!" he ordered, unsheathing his sword.

Sigurd wasted no time and bellowed; "WARSUNG, TO ARMS!" before rushing to Magnus' side. His axes which laid in both of his hands were tightly gripped, and his fury was ready to be unleashed, all which indicated that he was ready for battle.

"Let's do this!" chuckled Eira, unsheathing her bow from her back. "I've been waiting too long to spill Völsung blood again!"

Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other. The warriors and maidens around them still roared with eagerness. All of them were ready to do battle… and so too were they.

"Together?" he asked.

"Together." she replied.

Toothless from behind gave a loud growl, almost sounding like a roar - indicating; 'Together.'

Hiccup smirked. "Thanks, Bud."

Stoick, who stood at the forefront, raised his axe up into the air. And with a howl of rage and anger, he bellowed to his fellow Vikings;

"CHAAAARGE!"

* * *

 **Yup! Hiccstrid is finally here! And next chapter will be another major battle, as well as a change of setting!**

 **But until then:**

 _ **To be continued...**_


	38. Storming The Shore - Act I

**Right, so this chapter, and the parts that continue on with it will obviously revolve around fighting, and as well as the Tribes of the Archipelago finally clashing against the main antagonist on their own turf. But if anyone is confused about the start of this chapter as in how they ended up where they were, go back to the previous chapter and read it if you haven't already! Or, reread it if you'd like! :P**

 **Now, how about we see what happens next. Hm?**

* * *

"Toothless! Plasma blast 'em!" Hiccup commanded, clearly showing his aggression to the enemy.

The Night Fury gladly obliged and charged up a fiery blast of purple fire, all before releasing it onto the enemy as they began to form their ranks to engage the Tribes… or well, at most they tried to form their ranks.

The first blast from Toothless sent a dozen warriors flying back, charred or covered in flames, easily taking care of them, but not before a chain reaction of blasts would follow as Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch would too begin to fire, attempting to provoke the enemy.

But it seemed that the enemy was trying to provoke them more as well. They roared and cheered, taunting the Vikings of the Archipelago to charge, and more barrages of Devastator fire followed from the deadly iron cannons, but that did not stop the fleet from reaching the shore.

When the longships _did_ manage to reach them however, the warriors and maidens of the Tribes all readied to lodge themselves off the boats, preparing to charge the army in full force that laid before them.

Stoick was the first out of them to jump off his ship along with Hiccup and the Riders, all while shouting loudly to his warriors; "RALLY UP, MEN! VALHALLA AWAITS!"

One by one, warriors and maidens jumped off their longships, rallying up as one massive legion of angry Vikings, with Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, the Twins, Magnus, Eira, Sigurd, the Dragons, and the Chieftains at the front; all of them ready to give them everything they had.

More Devastator fire came hurling at them, though the most they did was hit the back lines and take out two dozen warriors, and that _still_ did not stop them. Eventually, this caused a moment of silence to break throughout the ranks on both sides of the field.

From amidst the Great Army's numbers, a general on horseback slowly rode out towards the front of the battle line, revealing himself to the Tribes in full view, and from this the Vikings of the Archipelago lightly gasped. They hadn't seen a horse before after all.

"INFIDELS!" he called out. "You are given one choice! Lay down your arms, surrender your poor example of an army, and kneel before the unstoppable might of King Ivar the Boneless! Or, we can slaughter you all and be done with this!"

The cold wind blew in their faces. They all stood in silence as the sun shined lightly on them from behind the clouds, glaring at each other with deep hate and anger. Both sides still wanted battle as they had traveled far to reach where they were now.

...Especially the Tribes. After a month of planning along with traveling, they would not turn around now.

The only one to respond however, was Hiccup as he stepped out to meet face-to-face with the general, one on one. The man's arrogance reminded the scrawny Viking of Olaf, but he was nothing compared to the former Slavemaster.

The general easily noticed Hiccup as he walked to the front of his ranks, and his sword in hand gripped tightly upon seeing the one that he and many others, called "slave", approach him.

"Hiccup the Useless!" he spat out. "Hiccup the Traitor… Hiccup the SLAVE! Who knew it would be _you alone_ who would lead this army to it's doom! Surrender now, bastard - you have nowhere to run!"

"Oh really?" Hiccup called out, questioning the general. "Well then… I guess there's only one thing left to do!"

The scrawny Viking took a step forward, slowly, making the general assume that Hiccup was about to surrender. He then took another step forward, and another, and another, until he was a fair, but not too far of a distance away from the Tribes.

He raised his left hand up high in the air, almost as _if_ he was about to signify his surrender…

But then he quickly raised the other one up towards one of his hilts and unsheathed his main weapon, all before lowering his left hand and unsheathing the Dragon's Blade.

He turned his head around with his fiery blade raised. "Also, _I am not alone!_ NOW!" he shouted to the Riders, and the young Vikings immediately looked towards their Dragons.

Toothless however knew what Hiccup was doing, and he reacted quickly with another plasma blast towards the front lines of the enemy ranks, taking out a dozen more warriors and forcing them down to the ground.

The Dragon Riders soon responded by ordering their Dragons to fire.

"Stormfly, fire!" Astrid ordered her Dragon.

"Meatlug, spew!" Fishlegs bellowed, and so forth down the line as the combined firepower of the Dragons took out multitudes of Vikings, Germanic Barbarians, and Rus' Varangians. But that alone was not enough against over two and half thousand.

The general was shocked as one of the blasts which came from Toothless nearly struck him. However, it only managed to strike those who were near him. The Viking rose his warblade and roared:

"SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!"

The charge from the Great Army began, and immediately the ranks dispersed and spread out as they ran towards their foe with haste, screaming with bloodlust, though Hiccup would too respond with the same action as his voice rose to the ranks behind him.

"CHARGE!"

The Chieftains ran first with the Riders, Dragons, and commanders at their side before the rest of the army followed behind. War cries and roars filled the shore as each side got closer and closer to each other, and it wasn't until Toothless got with Hiccup that the young lad began running.

They all ran as fast as the wind in their lungs could allow them. The twelve Devastators up the slope towards the opened plains all the meanwhile fired barrages of iron and fire over their foes, though luckily, some of them had missed.

As both sides eventually reached other, the Dragons responded by firing once more - but this time at point blank range, taking out dozens more from the enemy. And then, both sides clashed with one another.

The intensity of the charge was great however. A battle line was never formed in between the two large forces as a result of the strong clash, and instead there was fighting going on all over the beach.

It was one warrior or maiden against another, two against two, three against one or two, the battlefield in general became chaos.

Hiccup and the Riders however stuck together.

The six Vikings fought as one with their Dragons against the multitudes of Vikings, Barbarians, and Varangians that approached them, and their combined effort alone made a small but elite battle-line against the enemy which circled to face towards all sides.

Hiccup relied more on his skill with a sword, and the side amount of his strength, to aid him as he fought. Being adjusted with wielding a sword, it was no difficulty at all to wield two of them in both of his hands. He would use both his blades as an advantage to out maneuver any enemy that approached him. At one point he would even catch the opponent's weapon with one blade before proceeding to slice and dice at them with the other.

He even went as far as to grabbing the attention of three or five foes, before covering behind Toothless and letting the Dragon either swipe them with his tail, or blast them into flames.

Astrid fought dirty, but with precision and skill as Hiccup did. She fought duo with Stormfly who acted as her shield and spare blade for her. If any arrows were fired upon the young lass, if any axes were thrown, or if any attempts at striking Astrid were made, the Dragon would simply respond by covering the shield maiden with a wing and striking back with a spine shot or with her magnesium blast.

Astrid's strikes, though slow with a two handed axe, were indeed heavy and impactful. Not even a Viking's helmet would stand strong against her blows as they would simply find their skulls crushed, but not before being cut limb from limb.

Fishlegs fought with the reliance of his body strength. In one hand he wielded a sword, and in the other he wielded a shield which he'd use not just for protection, but as well as for ramming the enemy. Seeing as how Meatlug had the ability to use her tail as a bludger and ram, Fishlegs would at times run into his enemies shield first so that he could knock them over onto their backs, all before finishing them with a quick strike to their hearts or throats.

He would even use his shield to reflect an enemy's strike away, only to respond by striking _them_ where it was vulnerable and would hurt the most - just as how Meatlug hurling flaming boulders towards her enemies felt like more than just a headache.

Snotlout took on his enemy with deadly efficiency. Being the temporal but still-heir to Berk, he had learned much from Stoick in the past, as well as buff up. His fighting style was similar to a Hooligan, but his way of executing it was creative. He would find where the enemy was weak as they were about to swing their weapon, and then stab them where it would hurt.

With the axe that his father gave him, and the shield he wielded in hand, he would analyze his foe with how they were. Heavy or light, fast or slow, and then he would slice them in the areas that were most revealing and vulnerable, giving them a quick death.

As for his Dragon Hookfang, the large stoker reptile would use his fire not just as a weapon, but also as a tool for intimidating the enemy. Any Viking or Barbarian or Varangian that approach the beast would be put in a state of fear as they would run back, only to have themselves be met by a fiery death.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut, along with Barf and Belch, fought as one. Rather than separating from each other, the Twins used the Zippleback like a horse as an advantage for them to fight their enemies. They would use the two long necks of the Dragon to reach down for their opponents, before beating them to a pulp as they clobbered the enemy Vikings with their maces.

If multitudes of enemies approached the Twins and their Dragon, Barf would release a quick amount of Zippleback gas, and Belch would immediately light it ablaze, causing an explosion and sending their foes running away in pain as they burnt.

However, despite all of this combined effort, the numbers of the enemy still kept being reinforced. Every warrior or maiden they slaughtered would be replaced with two more, and the Tribe's numbers started to very slowly decrease as they couldn't take it.

Hiccup's eyes soon fell upon the slope that led into the opened plains. Though it did not provide as much high ground as the hill to the east did, the Devastators were able to rack up kill after kill with the hilly advantage.

"We need to take out those Devastators, NOW!" he shouted, right as another Viking came in to strike out at him, only to be sliced down. "Ruff, Tuff, deal with those siege weapons!"

"One of us, against twelve of those!? Are you insane, Hiccup!?" Ruffnut called out.

Tuffnut grunted, striking down an approaching Barbarian. "Listen, H! Unless this involves us doing something crazy and out of our mind, we ain't going up there alone to-"

"WALL OF FIRE, RUFF AND TUFF!" Hiccup bellowed.

The Twins opened their mouths in unison, smirking.

"Ohhh!" they replied, and they instantly flew off, heading towards the war machines that were still putting pressure onto them.

The engineers manning the Devastators, upon seeing the Dragon and the Twins flying towards them, began firing upon them, however with every shot they blasted forth, they just missed. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were at that point too focused with their attack.

However, as the two drew closer and closer, they began to notice a formation of what appeared to be bowmen lining up. And upon realizing that they were going to be fired upon, a volley of arrows was released onto them.

The archer commander from afar shouted; "LOOSE!" and arrows ran over them like Hel.

The Twins quickly got it together however as they flew lower towards the ranks, and increased Barf and Belch's speed. As a result, the arrows missed the two Vikings and their Dragon with ' _effectively' poor_ accuracy. Not only that, but the arrows ended up hitting their own troops, giving the Tribes of the Archipelago a slight advantage.

"YOU FOOLS!" the commander shouted, raging. "OUR OWN MEN WERE HIT!"

But it didn't matter by that point. Atop the slope, the Vikings manning the Devastators attempted to re-aim their weapons, still trying to take down the Twins. But it wasn't until that a green gas rained over them did they realize that they were in serious trouble.

The engineers abandoned the war machines and attempted to flee from the gassed area. But it was far too late. The gas was soon lit, and the sparks bursted into a huge fiery explosion as nearly a hundred Scandinavian Vikings who stood in the crosshairs of it were incinerated, along with the Devastators being destroyed.

Down below the slope, the Vikings of the Archipelago cheered with confidence and inspiration as a push soon began. Though the numbers of the enemy kept being reinforced in an almost constant stream, the Tribes still would not give in.

From behind, Magnus came running forth with his Warsung following him, still healthy in number. "Hiccup, our forces are making a push! Now's your time! Make your move while you still can!"

At first, Hiccup wasn't sure if the time was right. It seemed that the twelve Devastators that were now in ruin were too easy of a target, and it was almost as if the Great Army didn't care about this loss - as if there was something… more.

...And indeed he was right.

From behind the slope, something large came into view. The ground shook as wheels rolled, and rubble was pushed out of the way as the base of a new weapon rammed through with a large spiked barricade attached at the front of it like a battering ram.

Long and behold, it came into view. Another, more destructive, Devastator.

"DEVASTATOR COMING OVER THE HORIZON!" called out Dagur. "THAT THING IS MASSIVE!"

The iron cannon laid still at first atop the slope. It was more than two times the size of an original Devastator, and the barrel was enough to show that it's shot size was indeed larger.

Quickly, engineers rushed behind the back of the humongous Devastator, opening the back latch to roll in a large clunk of iron, which was it's ammunition. Then the order was given, and Hel was unleashed.

"FIRE!"

A boom erupted, as loud as thunder itself, and from the weapon a big projectile of fire and metal flew overhead in the air, aimed right in the center of a cluster of Viking ranks belonging to the Archipelago Tribes. What then followed was a huge explosion that killed more than ten dozen Vikings in a raging inferno, and soon chaos unveiled itself.

Eira looked towards Magnus. "We need to take out that cannon! Otherwise we'll never get Hiccup through!"

Hiccup grunted, mounting Toothless. "I'll deal with the Devastator! You guys focus on the push!" he replied, before flying up in the air atop the winged reptile.

Magnus tried to intervene. "Hiccup WAIT! YOU'LL BE SPOTTED BY THAT TOWER!" he called out.

But it was far too late.

Hiccup flew up in the air with Toothless. The Dragon prepared to charge up a plasma blast, and then divebomb at the war machine with all he had. However, Hiccup's plans would not go entirely accordingly.

From the watchtower atop the cliff, ballistas that were manned and armed aimed at the two of them, and began to fire multiple shots of harpoons upon them, like arrows volleying on an army - but the harpoons flew towards them faster. Fast enough to where Hiccup hardly had time to react.

"LOOK OUT!" Hiccup gasped, and Toothless immediately spun, though hardly having enough time to react to Hiccup's command. Thankfully, the harpoons were dodged, but Toothless was slightly injured at the lower side of his body by one of them.

The Dragon growled upon seeing the wound, and he roared in response, implying; 'I have had ENOUGH!'

Toothless flew without command up into the air, and with his mouth opened and glowing. A roar suddenly escaped him as he turned around and screeched with a high pitched noise. He dive-bombed towards the large Devastator, aiming towards the inside of the barrel as it was about to fire again…

...And just in time, the plasma blast reached it's target, and with another large explosion the siege weapon was destroyed from the inside-out, blasting the engineers who were manning it back aflame.

"Down, Toothless, before they fire at us again!"

Hiccup landed back down on the ground with his friends who watched in amazement from what Toothless just did. They knew that the battle was beginning to shift once more. This time, it was towards their favor again.

But still, the numbers of the Great Army kept being reinforced.

"That's that handled." stated Hiccup as he dismounted Toothless, landing next to his friends. "Now, it's best that we move on with the plan."

"Agreed." Magnus replied, just before giving a loud whistle. A platoon of a hundred warriors and maidens ran up to Magnus after they heard the signal, consisting fifty Warsung, and fifty Berkians.

"Right, Hiccup. This all you'll need for the "detour" through the forest." he said, walking closer towards the young Viking until he stood on his right flank. "We'll assist you as you go, but you can also bring three others with you if you'd like."

Hiccup sighed. "Very well… Astrid, Fishlegs!" he called out. "You're coming with me!"

The two nodded at him, approaching him with their Dragons still at their side.

"And who's your third?" asked Astrid, looking at Snotlout and the Twins. Ruffnut and Tuffnut refused however as they were enjoying the action too much, and the others knew that Snotlout was needed more on the front lines. He was still the steward-heir after all.

"I'll come with you!" a voice said from the distance as Heather came running from the west with her axe in-hand, axing down a Barbarian as she ran.

She stopped before them, catching her breath. "I overheard what you guys were planning to do." she said, breathing for air until finally standing up straight. "And I will say; although you need to be quick, you still need as many of those willing to protect you as possible, and I am willing to go. I am quick enough to navigate with you guys, and stealth won't be a problem for me."

Hiccup smirked, bowing his head. "Very well, Heather. You can come with us."

"Then it's settled." Magnus responded in agreement. But just as he was about to speak again, a blast of fire and metal came hurling towards the ranks once more, taking out one or two dozen warriors. More Devastators had came in.

He sighed. "We don't have much time, we need to go. Sigurd, you're coming with us! Eira, you need to stay here and hold the line in my absence!"

Eira widened her eyes. "What!? But I- ... _we_ need you here, Magnus! You're our Chief! I can't do this alone!"

"Yes you can. As a Chief, I must do my duty for our people, Eira!" he said to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But know that if I don't make it through this Hel of a mission, I want you to help lead our people to victory. I trust you the most to continue holding the line, Eira, because there's no one _else_ better for the Warsung. Just believe in yourself, Eira!"

She sighed, grasping ahold of one of his hands with both her hands. "Gods-speed, Magnus." she told him.

Magnus raised his other hand up and grasped her hands as well. "And you too, lady Eira." he teased her, before patting her on the shoulder. However, the sudden actions of the battle going on around pulled them back into reality.

Immediately the two Vikings separated.

"We all have your orders!" Magnus called out. "Let's get moving!"

"WARSUNG, FOLLOW ME!" Eira shouted, as the majority of the Tribe followed Magnus' right hand lady into battle. Then, all eyes from the remaining warriors and maidens fell on Hiccup.

Astrid gripped her axe. "Lead the way, Hiccup."

Hiccup sighed. "Very well… there's no turning back. Let's push forward, into the jaws of the beast!"

* * *

 **Just a couple quick A/Ns.**

 **Yup! More advancement in weapons for the Great Army, and quite alot of chaos going on! As the parts progress, the chaos of the battle will increase. Also** **, Heather is finally getting a spotlight!**

 **Anyways though, I hope you've enjoyed this one!**


	39. Storming The Shore - Act II

**Have I got a treat for you this chapter, guys! Previously there was lots of fighting, and lots of explosions. And now... there's more fighting!**

 **Jokes aside though, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And thanks to KorrieChan and Dabzzygirl(Guest) for the reviews last chapter! You guys are great!**

 **Now, let's dive back into it! (Apologies for any grammatical errors!)**

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless, and the group of a hundred that was at his side followed him as they ran along a somewhat wide but long dirt path through the forest. Behind him, Astrid lead the fifty Hooligan warriors to his right, and to his left, Magnus led his Warsung warriors.

However, all Hiccup could really think about at that moment as they ran was of what they would encounter along the way. Five minutes or so had passed by since they started running, and so far there was nothing. Not a single Viking, Barbarian, or Varangian.

Hiccup raised his hand up in the air, signaling the group to stop, and by command they did as ordered. However, Magnus and Astrid looked at him confused.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Magnus. "We have no time to waste, Hiccup. We have to continue moving or else our army will-"

"Wait, Magnus." he interrupted, looking around. "Something… isn't right."

Astrid walked forward, still curious. "What are you talking about? So far, our journey through this forest has been smooth without any ambushes or obstacles. What could be go wrong about this?"

"That's the thing, Astrid." he replied, turning to face them. "We haven't been ambushed once. My father said that ambushes were to be expected along this route… something is terribly off here."

"...He's right." Fishlegs replied agreeing as he turned his head to look around. "I think… we're being watched."

It was then that suddenly, Toothless began to growl as he sniffed the air and caught an unfamiliar scent that was not part of the group. They were indeed being watched.

Hiccup raised a brow. "Toothless?"

Toothless' head was now faced towards a group of bushes to the right of the path, and upon falling gaze on it, he growled louder. Then, without even hesitating a single bit, Toothless sent out a plasma blast towards the bushes, instantly lighting them aflame.

As leaves on the bushes were burnt, Hiccup and the others saw enemy scouts with bows armed in hand now revealed before them. The blast from Toothless was enough to not just reveal them, but to also send one of them back covered in fire, thus catching attention.

All of the Warsung and Berkians immediately turned to face to the right, and both sides were soon caught eye to eye with each other, giving off surprising looks.

Heather gasped. "Uh, Hiccup?"

"SHIELD WALL!"

The group quickly reacted to Hiccup's command, and a shield wall was formed at the moment right before arrows were released upon them.

"Let's send them back to the seas!" one of them yelled.

For a time, they all stood there with their shields covering them as a volley of two dozen arrows kept pummeling down on them, placing them in a tight position.

Hiccup looked at Astrid as they ducked behind the wall, and she looked at him.

"What do we do!?" she asked him.

He gave a shrug at first, trying to think on the situation. As he stared back behind the shield wall however, he noticed the archers that they had brought with them ducking there with the Dragons. A smirk formed on his face.

"Quick! When I give the order, open the shield wall!"

Sigurd looked back at Hiccup. "Are you crazy!? They're going to kill our men!"

"Just do as I tell you! Trust me!" the scrawny Viking replied back to him.

The blonde Viking sighed, looking at Magnus who gave a nod at him. "Alright… archers, knot your arrows!"

The archers quickly ran up to the front of the line with their bows in hand, still behind the shield wall, and they attached their arrows to their strings.

And as they did, the advantage soon came upon them, and there was a quick pause of arrow fire. That was when Hiccup gave the order.

"LOOSE!"

The shield wall opened up, and a volley of fifteen arrows flew towards the enemy scouts who stood there like cattle ready for the slaughter, and all of the arrows as a result managed to find their targets, killing nearly half of the scouts.

Hiccup grunted. "Toothless, now!"

The Night Fury roared and jumped up into the air whilst the enemy scouts were unable to reload, and he released another plasma blast upon them, this time hitting four of them, and with more than half of them wiped out, they attempted to flee.

However, Stormfly and Meatlug ran forward just as the wall came apart, and they let loose their flames upon the scouts, finishing them off. Stormfly even let loose her spine shot into a few of them, giving off more damage.

Hiccup raised his hand up in the air as he ordered the group to hold, and he gazed upon the corpses of those that laid before him. The area they had initially hid in was now burning to a crisp as a few trees were lit aflame, and the ground was charred.

"Who were these men?" Hiccup asked, catching his breathing from the suspense and action.

Magnus leaned down as he approach one of them with arrows plunged into their chests. "I don't know, but these scouts don't look like Vikings. Their helmets and armor are _somewhat_ similar, but their hair is too dark and black to be that of Scandinavian. They look more like… Germanians."

"Barbarians?" Hiccup asked.

Magnus nodded. "Indeed. And if there's more of them nearby, then we may as well be walking into a trap."

"Then perhaps we should stay closer, and move faster." Heather suggested, gripping her axe. "If there's more of them hiding out there, best we find them before they find us. Plus, we're just wasting our time right now the more we sit here and talk."

"I agree." said Astrid, petting Stormfly. "I don't want to see our army shattered and routed upon us returning to them. It's best we continue."

Hiccup nodded, facing Toothless and the warriors of the Hooligans and Warsung. "Then let's not say anything else any longer. Let's continue to move! You still with me, Toothless?"

…

* * *

The trail lasted slightly longer for the group as they continued to run along it, and by the time that Hiccup and the others had reached a certain point, confusion hit him, as well as Magnus, Astrid, Heather, Fishlegs, and Sigurd.

In front of them laid not the end of the trail, but rather the opened gate of a camp. A camp surrounded by spikes and filled with tents and small huts, along with a wooden watchtower built to overlook everything.

"Magnus." began Hiccup. "This… shouldn't be here, should it?"

Magnus shrugged. "I don't remember this being here before… perhaps we took a wrong turn?"

"I don't know." Astrid replied, crossing her arms. "But maybe, this is part of the trail? The path does not seem to go anywhere else but here, otherwise we would have noticed a different direction along the way-"

"Wait!" Sigurd interrupted, pointing in the distance. "Look over there!"

From afar, movement could be seen as several dozen warriors spotted the Warsung and Berkian troops. Warriors of whom were of the same kind that Hiccup, Astrid, and the others had slain.

"Archipelago Vikings, in sight!" a warrior called out.

The captain of the group gnarled, unsheathing his warblade. "Come on, warriors! Let us show these fools the berserking strength of the Bloody Berserkers! FOR CHIEFTAIN KARVEIN!"

"Barbarians!" Heather gasped.

Magnus grunted. "They were camped here!? Gah! To arms, men! Let's take them out!"

Hiccup nodded in agreement to Magnus as he unsheathed both of his blades, raising the Dragon's Blade up in the air and then yelling to his men: "Forward!"

The Berkians and Warsung rushed towards the camp with Hiccup and Toothless at the front. The Night Fury whilst running let out bolts of plasma blast at the enemy, blasting back three or more Barbarians at a time, and soon enough, they clashed.

As both forces impacted into each other, it was the Berkians and Warsung who made the greater hit against the enemy as they rushed through the lines. Once more, fighting took place around every corner.

The Bloody Berserkers struck out with great force and hasty hits, as their name alone described who they were, but Hiccup's group weren't the ones that came entirely unprepared.

As Hiccup entered combat, he struck out in all directions with both his blades, standing back-to-back with Astrid as the two of them spun in circles to slice at their opponents. Using the same tactics as they did back on the beach, they were able to hold their ground.

At times when axes were thrown, Toothless would run in front of the volley and use his wings as a shield to protect Hiccup and his allies that surrounded him. Arrows were even fired down from the tower upon the group. However, the archers firing would eventually run dry and rush out the tower to aid their allies.

But with much going on around, it was difficult to manage.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called out as he caught the warblade of the Barbarian captain, holding it in place.

"Can't right now, Hiccup!" she replied, swinging her axe at a maiden until eventually cutting them down with a gouge down the chest. "I'm more focused on trying to get these damned Barbarians out of the WAY!"

Hiccup grunted, breaking the weapon lock as he spun his blades around in circle, before crossing them at his opponent's neck, decapitating the captain.

He turned around to face Astrid, gripping his blades. "We can never win like this! These Barbarians will out maneuver us if we remain exposed and spread out, we need to cluster them up and-"

"HICCUP!" Astrid shouted, pointing behind him as a Bloody Berserker rushed him with dual weapons in hand.

However, before Hiccup could react in striking, an axe from afar came flying at the Barbarian warrior that was charging him, gouging his right leg and thus causing him to fall to his knees.

Heather came running in, pulling her axe that she threw at the Barbarian before slicing the warrior at his chest, finishing him off. "More keep coming in. We can't hold any longer, or they'll begin to slaughter us!"

Sigurd growled loudly, cutting down a Barbarian. "Get them grouped up! Let's make a slaughter circle for them!"

"Agreed!" Magnus called back. "Warsung! Formed a shield wall! Group them up!"

The Warsung shield bearers and shield maidens ran together, rallying to Magnus as a line was formed in front of him. Hiccup nodded his head to himself at the idea.

"Hooligans, do the same! Rally up! Shield formation!"

A second line was formed as the Hooligan warriors ran fast and passed any Barbarians that tried to strike them. Thankfully, no Hooligan or Warsung warrior thus far was killed. Two lines were now cornering onto the Germanic warriors, backing them up into a choke point until they were pinned against the spikes.

"Fishlegs, do your thing!" Hiccup called out.

"Meatlug, lava blast around 'em!"

The Gronckle in response immediately began to gargle up patches of molten lava around the couple dozen of Barbarians that remained. But they were about to be met with a fiery death.

Hiccup snapped his fingers, and a blast of purple fire began to charge up within Toothless' mouth, causing the Germanic warriors to quickly panic. After a few seconds, the Dragon released it, and the patches of lava were lit aflame as a small plasmic explosion followed.

"SHIELDS, RAISE!" Hiccup bellowed, ordering the shield wall to rise up to prevent hot temperatures from hitting them. Thankfully, they were out of range.

The Bloody Berserkers all the meanwhile screamed as hot flames spread all across their bodies, until it began to hit their bones.

Magnus sighed. "Warsung, lower your shields! Archers, fire at will!"

The Warsung bowmen reacted to the command, aiming their bows above the wall before releasing arrows upon the burning warriors, finishing them off.

After a short moment, the warriors recovered from their shield walls and were free to spread out from their formation, looking around at the little damage they did to the camp.

Hiccup sighed, staring at Magnus. "Best we burn this camp. We can't take any chances of having them use whatever supplies they have here."

"Agreed." Magnus replied. "Let's be done with this and- ...Wait, what's that noise?"

The sudden sound of many boots hitting the ground caught Magnus' attention, and soon everyone's attention was caught. However, Sigurd would be the first to spot the source of the sound.

"The main gate!" Sigurd shouted.

From outside the camp, over two hundred Bloody Berserkers came rushing in through the front entrance, stopping short as they stood many yards away from the group. The Berkians and Warsung gripped their weapons tight, raising them in front of them in case the enemy was to charge.

However, they did not prepare to rush them… at least not until a large figure stood out from the Germanic battalion. It was a large pale man with long and braced black hair, along with a black beard. His shoulders had dark black fur and feathers, and his armor consisted of strong wool and leather, as well as a grey gambeson.

Before the group, the leader of the Barbarians stepped forward.

It was Karvein, High Chieftain of the Bloody Berserkers.

Karvein growled, laying his eyes upon Hiccup. "Look what vermin has been sneaking through our forests, lads! Hah… fresh meat for the slaughter!"

"Oh boy…" Fishlegs gulped.

Karvein raised his great axe. "BLOODY BERSERKERS! RUSH THEM!"

Immediately battle cries filled the camp as the Germanic warriors charged Hiccup and his group, but Hiccup had a plan up his sleeve.

"Dragons, fire! Toothless, plasma blast! Light the ground up!"

The Dragon obliged, quickly letting forth two charged plasma blasts which not only caused the Barbarians to back up from the heat and halt their charge, but as well as block their way as a line of fire was formed.

Hiccup's voice rose as he gazed to his right. "Quick, everyone! Through the rear gate!"

The Vikings reacted, running into the direction that Hiccup was headed towards with his swords still gripped in his hand. Astrid, Magnus, Fishlegs, Heather, and Sigurd eventually caught up with the rest of the warriors and Dragons behind them once more.

As they ran, the Dragons burnt the camp behind them, and Karvein from afar could be heard roaring in anger.

"YOU WON'T ESCAPE US!" he bellowed. "IF I CAN'T TAKE YOUR HEADS, SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"

Hiccup sighed, shaking his head and refusing to turn around. "There's no going back. We must push on, no matter what stands in our way..."

…

* * *

Throughout the group's travel in the forest, all they had seen so far were only trees, tents, and very few Scandinavian Vikings along the route. At times they would see corpses along the road, which Hiccup had assumed to have been slaves and prisoners.

What what surprised them the most by far was when they reached a larger camp, with nothing but trees and the terrain surrounding it.

Hiccup glanced upon it as they hid from a distance within the bushes, only four warriors were guarding the entrance into the camp, but no doubt there would be more. This time however, they were up against Vikings.

"Hmm, those Viking colors seem familiar, but I can't say what Clan they're a part of."

Magnus glanced between Hiccup and the Vikings, shaking his head with a sigh as he wiped off his sweat. "I recognize those brown colors underneath their gambesons… and Gods I never thought we'd come across them."

"Who are they?" asked Fishlegs.

Sigurd rose his voice to speak up. "They're the warriors of the Broken Axe Clan. One of the greatest Clans in Scandinavia, however, they're not from Norway."

Magnus nodded. "Aye… I believe they come from Denmark? Well all I can say right now is that it doesn't matter. What we need to do right now is sneak in there and take them by surprise."

"I've got this." replied Hiccup. "Astrid, Heather, Sigurd, follow me."

The three nodded at Hiccup as they begun sneaking behind him through the bushes, making their way around to the right side of the entrance slowly. However, upon getting closer, less and less bushes became apparent, and then they were at a dead end.

"Damn it!" Heather grunted. "How are we supposed to sneak up to them now? If we run out and try to hide behind the trees, they'll catch us immediately."

They all sat there in the bushes for a moment, silent and thinking, but Hiccup was not sure of what to think. However, Sigurd had an idea up his sleeve.

"Watch this." he said, before letting out a light whistle to catch the guard's attention.

The two guards on the right side, a swordsman and axeman, noticed the sound, and they looked at each other confused.

"What's that noise?" one of them asked.

The other one with his helmet turned to the left, facing the four Vikings' direction. "It's coming from over there! We'd better check it out!"

Astrid looked at Sigurd, wide eyed. "Are you crazy? They'll track our position!" she whispered.

"Not for long…" he smirked. "Hiccup, get ready to strike! Just you and me."

By this point, Hiccup understood the gist of it, and nodded as the two Viking guards got closer and closer. Once they were right in front of their position, he and Sigurd lashed out at them.

Hiccup went for the one without a helmet, aiming towards the throat and dragging him into the bush, while Sigurd went for the one with the helmet who was as well more heavily armored, repeatedly stabbing through his gambesons until he bled out to death. He dragged him as well into the bush.

From the distance, the other two guards noticed their allies being dragged into the wildlife, and they were immediately on alert.

"We'd better check it out!" one of them said.

Sigurd nodded, chuckling. "Everything's going to plan. Astrid, Heather, prepare to strike!"

And that's exactly. what they did. The spearman and axeman closed in on their location, and eventually the two maidens struck out at them, quickly finishing them and dragging them into the bushes.

The coast was now cleared.

"Now!" Hiccup called out with his voice risen up, and the whole group quickly rushed into the camp with their weapons out, and with their Dragons by their side.

However, upon entering the camp, what they all saw was nothing more than empty tents and structures. The whole camp was empty. The smithy was not being operated, the lumber mill was not sawing wood, and the tower was not manned.

Where was everyone?

Hiccup stepped forward, standing in the center of the camp. "Something's not right. Where are they?"

Suddenly before them, a large iron and wooden barred gate opened, revealing an opening with nothing but puddles of water and debris. To Hiccup, something was off.

"Well, I guess the only way now is forward." Hiccup exhaled, releasing a breath of air.

Magnus nodded in agreement. "Let's press forward. We don't know what else awaits us."

The group hesitantly followed behind as they all headed through the gate and into the opening... However, upon entering, they found themselves surrounded by walls of iron and wood all around them. And worse, the way out was blocked.

They all realized now that they weren't in an opening. They were in an _Arena._

However… when Hiccup looked up to his left, that was when he saw him.

Before them from above on a large balcony, another Viking Chief stood. He had scars on his face, and wore no shirt aside from a dark leather gambeson. Barely any chest armor. His leggings were dark mail, and his boots were plate. His hair was long and dark, and he had no beard

Most notably however, the Chief did not have a left hand. Instead, it was replaced with the black blade of an axe.

Before them, was High Chieftain Hjalmar, leader of the Broken Axe Clan.

"Hah, fresh sheep to grind up!" he shouted from above, taunting the group.

Magnus stepped forward, his blade remained drawn. "You fool! Release us from this Arena, or I will cut you down myself!"

"RELEASE YOU!?" he bellowed, cackling upon hearing Magnus' threat. "KNOW THIS, OUTSIDERS; YOU ARE NOW WITHIN _MY_ ARENA! YOU WILL EITHER LEAVE ALIVE, OR AS DEAD ROTTEN BODIES!"

Suddenly, the roars and cheers of warriors could be heard as from above, Broken Axe warriors jumped headlong down into the Arena, charging the group and advancing on them with insane fury and bloodlust.

It was a trap.

Hiccup slightly panicked, but regained control of himself as he raised his blades up. "ADVANCE!" he roared, charging with the Berkians and Warsung as Toothless let out a plasma blast, sending a few Broken Axe warriors into oblivion.

Total fighting then broke out in the arena as both sides clashed.

Hjalmar laughed. "NOW, KILL ONE HUNDRED OF MY WARRIORS TO LEAVE… OR YOU MAY DIE TRYING!"


	40. Storming The Shore - Act III

**Longer chapter this time! Decided that I wanted to finish this series of chapters up ASAP before continuing head on with the story in general. But until then, there's going to be a lot of fighting! Thus, next part will be the fourth and final act for this.**

 **Also, thanks to Xythisdi1987, KorrieChan, and Dabzzygirl for reviewing last chapter. And thanks to Cats and violin(guest) for reviewing a past chapter. Welcome back!**

 **Now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

Hiccup lifted his swords up in a cross as he caught a Broken Axe warrior's weapon, spinning the weapon around in a circle to catch him off-balance before swinging the Dragon's Blade at the Viking like an axe, directly into the side of the chest, and burning him from the inside out.

He then looked around, but saw how everyone in the Arena was far too spread out, fighting warriors one on one, and yet the balance of power was somewhat equal - though so far there were no kills for the Broken Axe warriors.

...His eyes then fell upon Astrid.

He saw how she was fighting up against three Vikings alone, but she was about to become overwhelmed. Thus, he had the urge to go and help her out.

Suddenly from his right however, he barely noticed that four Broken Axe warriors were about to charge him, and the speed of them rushing towards Hiccup was fast, very fast.

Toothless who was nearby responded by sending forth a plasma blast directly towards the four Vikings, disrupting their charge and, once more, giving the Night Fury more kills in the slaughter.

Hiccup nodded at Toothless with a grin, but proceeded to rush towards Astrid who was being cornered and, all the while, swinging her axe in the air, threatening them to stay back.

"Heh, look at this lady swinging her little toy axe in the air!" one of them said, provoking her.

Astrid growled. "I'll drown you in the blood of your little army, brute! I'll bleed you through that helmet of yours!"

She swung her axe again, only this time, the same warrior who provoked her caught her axe and closed in on her.

"Hahaha!" he chuckled in an evil manner. "We will end you easily once we- GAH!"

From behind, a blade covered in fire pierced through the center of his chest, right through his gambeson, and slowly he felt himself burn in flames as they covered his entire body. The warrior next to him on his right was met with a stab as well, only it was met with a sharp and bright long blade.

Hiccup pulled his weapons out from the backs of his enemies as they fell to the ground on their stomachs, whilst one of them burnt. He smiled at Astrid. "Missed me?"

Astrid gnarled, raising her axe with both of her hands and plunging it at the warrior on Hiccup's left, getting a direct heavy hit through his helmet and into his skull.

With a strong pull, she ripped her axe out of his head and chuckled. "Thought you were gonna leave me, babe!"

"I would never!" he replied as they turned back to back. "Also; calling me 'babe'? That's a new one!"

She nodded. "Yeah, well, less talking, more fighting!"

Whilst Hiccup and Astrid fought, Heather too was having her own fun against her foes.

Near a corner of the Arena, she held her own like a berserking Viking, in a literal state of being berserk. Her axe was out, gripped in both of her hands as she sliced down any foe that approached, her one by one.

Her weapon found her mark in the weak points of her enemies. The chests, heads, necks, limbs, and so forth. So far, whatever approached her would be easily handled.

At one moment however, things were nearly about to change.

She disarmed the sword of a shield maiden, pulling it back with the curve of her axe before slamming it into the maiden's shield until - with such great strength, especially for a young Viking, the shield actually splintered into two, and as it did, her axe embedded straight into the shield maiden's chest.

Heather pulled her axe out as if it was nothing, and growled like a bear towards her foes.

"Is there NO Viking here, THAT HAS THE GUTS, OR STRENGTH, TO CHALLENGE ME!?"

That however provoked others nearby, and she soon realized what she had done.

In front of her, ten Broken Axe warriors charged her in a close formation, ready to smash her aside, and Heather right there and then was about to come to a conclusion that she was going to be tossed over…

Or so she thought.

A loud battle roar thundered near her as Fishlegs riding atop Meatlug both charged the advancing Vikings with brute force, and with a rough clash, Meatlug rammed into them with her head first, sending them up into the air while Fishlegs with his sword cleaved at them, while also bashing them aside with his shield.

No Broken Axe warrior who was in the way dodged that charge, and all ten of them were immediately rammed and cut down.

Fishlegs looked at Heather and bowed his head, before dismounting Meatlug as the two of them went towards the Berserker's side.

Both he and Heather fist bumped each other as thanks, and the fight went on.

Meanwhile, Chieftain Hjalmar from above his large balcony grinned with his brows lowered, giving a evil smile towards the chaos that was unfolding in the Arena.

Despite how he saw Hiccup cut down and burn his warriors, how Magnus sliced and diced at them with his position and precision, and how Toothless destroyed them with explosions and fire, he enjoyed it all every bit.

Eventually, all the Broken Axe warriors were slain, and all the Berkians and Warsung still stood, exhausted, but in their full strength.

Hjalmar let out a cackle. "HAHAHA! I am satisfied, pups! The way you fight, oh how I could watch it go on forever! Perhaps you need another round!"

Hiccup smirked. "Sorry, but we don't have all the time in the world for that! You on the other hand don't need time! TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless screeched, charging up a plasma blast as he aimed towards the balcony Hjalmar stood upon, and he fired upon one of the chains supporting it.

Quickly, the metal frame which the Chieftain was on began to fall apart, and soon he and the platform fell from the large overlook, landing flat on his bottom as the balcony fell apart and landed in parts all around him.

Meatlug who was instinctive on getting out of there alive with the others aimed for the rear gate that was locked, and quickly she fired spewed blasts of lava right at its center, busting it opened before the group began making their way out of the Arena.

"Everyone, group up! Let's get out of here!"

Hjalmar roared, gnarling at Hiccup. "I ONLY COUNTED NINETY NINE KILLS FROM YOU, BERKIAN!"

Hiccup laughed. "Then I guess the last one goes to you. We owe you one!"

The Broken Axe Chieftain refused to bail out on the chase. However, he did not have the support to hunt down the group as the rest of his Clan's army was located elsewhere. The Arena was a made for a reason alone.

He sighed heavily and irritated, standing up slowly before climbing the walls of the Arena, back up towards the overlook where his balcony was.

Eventually, he got atop another platform and watched as his opponents fled from him in the distance.

"I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME! YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME!"

…

* * *

The group continued their journey along the road, however, there were no signs of fortifications, huts, or any tents or towers. Just the forest around them and the appearance of spikes here and there.

The forest on the other hand was becoming denser, and the smoke seemed to be getting more clearer from within the fog. It was coming from the south where the main fighting was taking place, and Hiccup began to worry.

"Come on!" he said, irritated with the path. "We have to get to the end of this road as soon as possible, otherwise this entire invasion would have been for nothing!"

However, it would be eventual that Hiccup and the others would stumble upon something horrific and disgusting to their eyes. They never thought that any kind of Viking could ever do such a thing… but it was possible that it was the works of another Clan.

Above them, upon the long and large branches of tall trees, stripped bodies down to their under-garments hung, lifeless, mutilated, and bloody.

"Oh my Gods…" Astrid gagged upon sniffing the decaying scent. "What kind of manner of madness is this? Who would do such a crazy thing?"

Magnus, being the one to understand the Clans and Tribes the most, squinted at the bodies to look for any evidence of whatever Tribe had done this until he saw the mark of what appeared to be a blind eye branded and burnt onto one of the corpse's, specifically on the chest.

Next to that, was a material of blue cloth, darker than any he had ever seen.

He gasped. "The Dark Eye Clan." he said. "They're up to this."

"The Dark Eye Clan?" Hiccup asked, raising a brow. "And who are they?"

"Monsters." he replied. "They are dark, wicked, war-hungering Vikings who are dressed in tattered robes at their waists which represents themselves as like… evil minded warrior-seers almost. But don't get the wrong idea of them being unarmed opponents. They wear armor as well, and their uses with wielding a weapon in each hand is proficient and deadly."

"Goodness…" Heather replied with slight tension.

"Aye. But as for their colors however; it is a blue that is as dark as night compared to my Tribe, showing they care for nothing but for the shadows and visions that Odin shows them."

Magnus sighed. "...Their Clan is truly evil, and yet they are not afraid to show themselves. It is even said that they can communicate with the dead, though at least they can't raise them."

Fishlegs arched his brows. "And Ivar doesn't fear them?"

He turned to face the anxious Ingerman. "What does Ivar have to fear? Comparedto how the Dark Eyes command fear _, he_ on the other hand _is fear itself_. If he wanted to, he could scare the Chieftain to his death in a heartbeat."

"So what do we do?" asked Heather, looking up at Magnus and Hiccup.

Hiccup opened his mouth, replying hesitantly; "We… we continue forward, no matter the cost. We cannot hesitate as our whole army risks total annihilation. If this is what we're to face next, then so be it. We will face the Dark Eye Clan, dead in their eyes."

With all of the courage he could muster up, the young Viking pressed forward without giving an order. The warriors, seeing no other option, followed their leader, continuing their way through the dark and foggy forest.

The more they continued however, deeper in the woods, the colder it all felt from around them. Though it wasn't their bodies that began to shiver… it was more their minds that started freezing.

The leaders of the group however; Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Fishlegs, Heather, and Sigurd - remained calm and relaxed as they pressed forward. And though some of the warriors and maidens were uneasy, they could not turn back.

Eventually, they all stumbled upon what seemed to be the entrance of a camp; assumingly the Dark Eye camp. At this point in the forest however, the fog and smoke was at its densest.

"Is this it?" Fishlegs asked, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Seems like it to me." nodded Magnus. "I can only assume that this is the Dark Eye Clan, though… I don't see any guards at the entrance. Surely they're here?"

"Oh they're here." Hiccup replied. "I can smell it in the air. There's a foul scent."

Magnus chuckled, looking down at the slightly shorter Viking. "Everyday you begin to remind me of myself. You've indeed grown ever since we left Kattegat."

"Yeah, well it won't be the last time that I'll continue to change. Now… I think we should get a move on."

The others nodded at Hiccup as they made their way into the camp. Once they were inside however, they noticed that there were bonfires scattered out all over the place, mostly in spots that were circled by tents and huts, and as well as even lighting the watchtower.

Once again, the forge was empty, but the camp's lumber mill seemed to be running on its own with it's blade saw spinning; though there was no one manning it.

In the center of the camp however, near a large hut, likely the Chieftain's hut, there was a group of robed figures centering themselves around a bonfire, kneeling and quietly chanting in Norse.

Magnus arched a brow, staring at the figures. "Those men." he pointed out. "They appear to look like Dark Eye Clansmen to me… but what are they doing chanting around a bonfire to the Gods rather than noticing us and calling for an attack?"

"I don't know." Hiccup replied. "But I intend to find out."

The young lad made his way forward, with Toothless accompanying him at his side, though the Dragon growled the closer and closer they got to the hooded and robed figures. To the Night Fury, something clearly wasn't right. Especially since he turned his head to his left and his right whilst they neared the large pyre.

Soon enough, Hiccup stood behind one of the robed men, and the group of hooded figures stopped chanting as their eyes from under the shadows of their hoods fell upon him and Toothless.

The Viking unsheathed both his blades, pointing it at the back of the robed stranger. "Remove your hood, and slowly turn."

For a small moment, no response came to him as they all just sat there, staring at him from underneath their shadowy hoods without an expression. Their faces couldn't be revealed, but Hiccup knew soon enough that they would react.

...And they did. The robed figure in front of Hiccup removed his hood, quickly standing to his feet and unsheathing his blade and axe. It was indeed a Dark Eye warrior.

The other figures were as well warriors as they responded in a similar action.

"It's a trap!" Hiccup shouted as he backed up with Toothless growling louder than ever.

The group rushed towards Hiccup to form a protective formation around him, but the unexpected came and happened as all around them, the tents flapped, and the huts bursted opened. From them, dozens of armed warriors came out, surrounding Hiccup and the group as the large bonfire made detail out of them.

Their colors were indeed a very dark blue, and their armor was similar to that of the other Clans. Gambesons, black chain armor, helmets, and so forth - though their hairs were slightly greyer.

Hiccup grunted as he looked around with his blades out, though it seemed that the fog around them began to clear up, dimly lighting the area up around them, as well as the whole camp.

"Who is your Chieftain!?" he called out with anger. "I want to see his face for myself! ...WHERE IS HE!?"

The Dark Eye warriors looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. However, the one behind the leadership of the Dark Eye Clan would reveal himself as the doors to the large hut slammed opened.

From it, a man came out, wearing tattered black robes at the waist of his body, down to his knees - while also wearing a dark blue gambeson. His hands and leggings also had chainmail, and his boots were plate like that of a Viking's helmet.

His shoulder pads were fur and wool like his cloak, and his black hood remained up as his grey-brown hair fell down to his shoulders.

Before them stood the Chieftain of the Clan.

High Chieftain Frode of the Dark Eye.

Frode approached Hiccup calmly with his sword and axe was unsheathed in both of his hands. He giggled in an evil manner at the scrawny Viking.

"This, is the leader of your army?" he asked the group, his voice being deep and guttural. "He seems extremely worthless... The Gods certainly don't favor him, or any of you infidels."

"My Odin is not the same as your Odin." Magnus replied, pointing his sword out at Frode. "No matter what you do though, you cannot stop us from doing what we've come here to do."

"Hmph. I believe I can." he responded, circling around towards Magnus' left.

Near by, a horse would come riding in towards Frode - whining as the Chieftain mounted him. "The Gods tell me however, that I am not to fight you right now. Whatever happens here and now will be set in stone… and that will be up to the actions of my warriors here."

He gave out a cackle as he turned his mount towards the front gate, and began to ride out. "Kill them!" he shouted, knocking over a brazier as he galloped out of the camp.

The flames from the knocked over brazier as a result created a ring of fire, lighting debris that was placed on the ground around the group, as well as around the Dark Eye warriors who surrounded Hiccup and his allies.

The war captain who was in command rose his blade up, and shouted loudly:

"ATTACK!"

The warriors ran towards the group with swift and brute force - each warrior wielding only axes and swords in both their hands, and as battle was joined, the Dragons responded by letting their attacks out first to make the impact less effective.

Hiccup stood again back-to-back with Astrid, fighting and rotating in a circle to cover each other from any opponent that dared to charge them. However, both of them had their own kind of advantage.

Because Hiccup was wielding two weapons as well, he was quickly able to match up against the Dark Eye warriors easily.

He used the Dragon's Blade as a tool, not only for revealing who he was fighting, but as well as a way to somewhat blind the Dark Eyes from the hot bright flames. With his other weapon he would then strike and attack however he could, and then strike once more with the same fiery blade.

Astrid, wielding an axe, was able to snatch away the weapons of her enemies when they struck. The way they fought was very swift, yes, but the Dark Eyes lacked more strength. Most of the hits would at times be too quick, and go off balance and miss - giving her the advantage to what she needed to do.

As Hiccup continued fighting however, the war captain which initially ordered the charge came into view, pushing aside any warrior in his path as he went straight for Hiccup.

"Oh Gods, this isn't good." he said to himself.

The two warriors, as a result of laying eyes, clashed at each other, with Hiccup having a slight disadvantage as the captain was slightly larger than him, and stronger than the rest of the Dark Eye warriors. Though still, the two continued to strike out at each other, laying blow after blow on each other's weapons.

It was then that they met in a blade lock, and the man chuckled.

"Isn't it a shame?" he asked. "You came this far, and yet look at where you stand! Your army is on the brink of destruction, and already your men to begin to falter!"

At first, Hiccup didn't listen to him, still glaring at the man filled with hate and anger and hearing his words as mockery and bluffing… until before his very eyes, he saw something he wished he didn't see. A Berkian and Warsung warrior fell beneath two Dark Eye warriors, before another three warriors followed, and then another one followed.

Hiccup's rage burnt brighter in his eyes as he looked back at the captain, and he cackled at Hiccup, pushing his axe and sword closer to the scrawnier Viking in an attempt to break the lock and cut him down.

But Hiccup shook his head and screamed "NO!"

He spun his blades around in a circle, catching the captain off balance, and immediately struck underneath the man with a mighty stab through the chest with both blades, bleeding him out and burning him from the inside out slowly.

The man looked down at his chest and chuckled, spitting blood back in Hiccup's face. "You lose… the G-Gods… have foreseen this…"

He fell to the ground on his back, looking up towards the sky, dead and lifeless.

Hiccup pulled his blades back, looking around as the group slowly lost more ground from the six deaths they received, and things in general at that point were starting to look bad.

Magnus in the distance sliced at his last opponent, looking at Hiccup with a face that showed 'I've had enough!' He approached Hiccup and patted him on the shoulder, nodding.

"We're getting out of here!" he said, before turning into the direction of the rear gate that was blocked by the ring of fire. At first, it seemed like there was no way out… but Magnus chuckled.

From his pocket, he pulled out a clay bottled-flask, filled with a liquid which Hiccup at first didn't know what to make out of. But Magnus would show what it was as soon as he threw it to the ground towards the lit debris, and what followed was a fiery explosion as the debris was blasted out of the way, and back at the Dark Eye warriors.

Magnus whistled loudly. "EVERYONE, THIS WAY!"

The warriors and maidens noticed a way was clear towards the rear gate, and none of them took a moment to spare as the Berkians and Warsung, along with Hiccup, the Dragons, and the others, ran out of there. Thankfully, they would make it out alive… although not untouched.

By that point however, the Dark Eyes were too weak to follow, and they watched as Hiccup and the warband fled the camp, swiftly and lightly.

"Forget about them! We need to put out these fires!" one of them called out, standing firm as he watched them flee. "The Iron Wolf Clan will finish them off!"

…

* * *

They all kept sprinting down the path, not stopping or looking back after the surprise attack they had gone through in the darkened part of the woods. But Hiccup's thoughts as of then were filled with anxiety and dread. If the Dark Eye Clan was able to easily pick out six of their men after so much pressure and exhaustion, what will the next Viking Clan be like?

...If it even was _another_ _Viking Clan_ they'd be going against.

Hiccup eventually ordered a halt as they stopped before the entrance of a rocky path that led down to what he assumed was a small canyon. So far, there was no other direction along the path - so where they were going was likely the right way.

The lad looked back at the group, seeing how exhausted they were from running - especially the Dragons. Their legs seemed weak, and they would have been on the verge of collapsing if they hadn't stopped for a breath.

"Gah…" Sigurd grunted. "Six of our warriors, lost to a cowardly ambush… we have been struck by a dishonorable blow."

Heather nodded slowly. "It may have been dishonorable from what they did, but those warriors who fought with us now feast up in Valhalla, drinking and ale and singing tales of us… Now, where exactly are we?"

Astrid sighed, shrugging at Heather's question without a response.

She turned to face Magnus. "How far are we from our location, Magnus?"

"We're almost there… I remember this canyon being part of the path." he answered, standing up with his back straight. "But I feel that what we faced so far isn't all that's left."

Hiccup arched a brow. "What do you mean, Magnus?"

"...Remain silent for a moment, and listen."

They all immediately ceased talking, staying silent without peeping as they focused with their hearing. They listened closely, and what they soon heard appeared to be metal hitting against rocks and ores, as well as chains and gears grinding against iron and wood, and the sounds of forges and anvils being operated in the distance.

Something big was up ahead. Even the smoke rising in the air proved it so.

Magnus lowered his brows. "I only know of one Clan that works with such engineering, influenced from the medieval parts of the south, and yet more advanced… And, I know for sure, that they aren't Vikings."

He continued moving forward with his sword now redrawn, eager to face what was on the other side of the canyon.

At first, the warriors and maidens looked at each other, unsure of what the leader of the Warsung Tribe was thinking to himself. But by that point, he was too far ahead from the group, and so Hiccup point his arm forward, ordering them to continue moving on.

Slowly they marched along the rocky pass which was now stripped of it's forest. Two cliffs now surrounded them on both sides, and though it was a wide path, it still seemed unsettling. Especially since the trees from the entrance seemed to have been cut down.

Up ahead however, the faint sound of what appeared to be fighting could easily be heard to Hiccup's ears, and immediately the thought of Magnus hit him.

Hiccup rushed forward. "Double speed, everyone! Move! Move!" he ordered, quickening the pace of the warband along the rocky path.

As soon as they reached the end of the canyon however, what came before them was a portcullis, fortified and guarded by ramparts of wood and iron on both sides. A group of six archers could be enough to guard the gate from atop them.

The group's focus then fell on what was in front of them. Magnus was standing straight on his feet before the corpses of two heavily armored warriors, carrying a plated item in his left hand… but once he threw it to the ground in front of them, they all saw that it was a helmet.

"It's a Slavic helmet." he said to them. "Which means we're going up against Slavic Rus'... Be ready for anything."

"Understood." Hiccup replied, nudging his head with a gesture towards the gate. Astrid, who noticed his motion, nodded in response.

"Stormfly, break those hinges! Let's get that gate opened!"

The Nadder replied with a squawk, letting loose her tail spikes towards the hinges of the portcullis that held it up. As they broke, the barred gate fell to the ground, landing flat which responded in a loud and large clanging noise.

It likely didn't go unnoticed.

Hiccup pointed his swords forward. "Everyone in, move, move!"

The warriors and maidens rushed into the large camp of the Clan that they were about to go up against, and in the center of the base, a quarry came into view which had scaffoldings and anvils placed around in it.

But what caught Hiccup's attention was a large but odd-looking Blacksmith at the very back of the camp. To him, it seemed more like a mix of a Stronghold, and a miniature Foundry… only instead of being made up of stone, it was made up of what the iron cog ships were made out of, as well as the same structures found on Black Rock Isle.

Which meant the mastermind of Ivar's machines of war was likely here…

"What do we have here!?" a voice bellowed, catching everyone's attention.

Suddenly, the large doors to the Foundry slowly opened before them, and from inside, dozens of warriors came rushing out of it; heavily armed warriors, wearing iron plating and chain mail as their armor.

But that was not all...

Behind them, a readied and loaded Devastator came rolling out, and in front of the war machine was a man wearing full black plated armor. His beard was large, and his hair was short - though it was a very pale and dark blonde. His shoulder pads were also covered in grey fur, and his cloak stretched down to his ankles.

Before Hiccup, the leader of the Varangian Rus' stood.

High Chieftain Vlar of the Iron Wolf Clan.

Vlar laughed. "Gah! What use are a small handful of outsiders, against the mighty Iron Wolf's war machine!? Hahaha!"

The warriors of the Iron Wolf Clan began charging Hiccup and the group, and without any other thought in mind, Hiccup pointed his blades forward and ordered a counter charge.

Vlar was eager for the chaos that was ready to unfold...

He grinned. "Iron Wolves, DESTROY THEM!" he bellowed, raising his warhammer up in the air to press his men on.

But not even a moment passed since fighting begun, and it was then that the Chieftain turned around and began walking, making his way back inside the Foundry as the doors shut behind him… though he did not leave without a parting gift from the Devastator. Soon, it began to fire upon the Berkians and Warsung.

Hiccup and Astrid noticed this, and they both saw the flaming projectile hurling directly towards them.

"ASTRID, TAKE COVER!"

* * *

 **Update 6/10/18: This is just a quick A/N to clear concerns up, especially to answer from a review I saw. Some of you might wonder why I decided to make it so that Hiccup goes through the forest rather than flying over it towards the target; in this case, the watchtower.**

 **Back in Act I, if you remember that when Hiccup flew up into the air with Toothless to get rid of the large Devastator with a dive bomb, they nearly got shot down. The ballistas of which were guarding the tower spotted him and were easily able to nearly overwhelm him as their range and speed of firing was enough to even scratch Toothless. Any longer they remained, and storywise, Hiccup and Toothless would be done for. The technology the Great Army has right now is advanced, after all. Thus, flying over is futile.**

 **As for why Berk couldn't train more Dragons? Simply because the time it would take to find more Dragons and train them would be too long, and in response, it would be too late as Ivar would have sent in a larger invasion force to the Archipelago by then... with Dragons of his own. (Remember he met a key antagonist in a previous chapter who said he'd give him a way of controlling Dragons.)**

 **Now then. Next chapter will conclude the Storming The Shore series of chapters. Afterwards, the fun will really begin!**


	41. Storming The Shore - Act IV

**I am going to admit, writing this chapter was a hell because of all the encounters I had to put in, plus, it resulted in much repetition - at least to my perspective. But regardless of that, I hope you guys like this one!**

 **Also, thanks to KorrieChan, dabzzygirl, and zoeki for reviewing last chapter! You guys are great, as usual! (Also zoeki, I PMed an answer to you for the question you asked in your review.)**

 **Update 7/16/18: Made some fixes to grammar and wording.**

 **Right, now then. Let's see where this last act will take us!**

* * *

"ASTRID, TAKE COVER!"

Hiccup ran over to Astrid, ducking her down as he grasped his arms around to cover her from the incoming Devastator projectile. It seemed he would be the one willing to risk his life for hers.

However, the projectile never met its target.

Instead, shards of burning metal landed around them, and as Hiccup and Astrid looked up to see what happened, they saw Toothless, Stormfly, and Meatlug with Fishlegs atop her. The Dragons stood there defensively in front of them with their mouths opened and lit.

Hiccup was surprised. With a combined effort of speed and precision, the three managed to actually destroy the projectile before it could make it's mark.

The two Vikings sighed as they stood up on their feet, staring at their Dragons with expressions of thankfulness.

"Thanks, Bud." he said to Toothless with a grin, though shortly that grin would be replaced with a serious face as he would look back towards the Iron Wolf Clan warriors who had already begun battle.

The Hooligan and Warsung Tribes had also clashed, thus, he knew it was time to get in on it.

He quickly mounted up atop Toothless, sheathing the Dragon's Blade whilst keeping his strongest and most sturdy blade unsheathed, and quickly, Astrid followed, getting onto Stormfly.

"Right guys, let's make this quarry go boom." Hiccup began. "Astrid, you and Stormfly will assist with our troops. Give our warriors cover, and give _them_ Hel."

"Got it." she replied back.

"Fishlegs. Focus on blasting away the anvils and lit forges for a fiery show. That will surely send our enemies to a crisp."

The larger Viking nodded. "Alright. And what are you going to do?"

The scrawny lad grinned. "I'm going to deal with the Devastator, and then I am going to collapse that Foundry to cease the production of weapons. If the Devastator was made in there, I won't let another one come out of there."

"Now," he sighed. "You all have your parts, so let's do this!"

The three of them cheered in anticipation and excitement as they flew up into the air with their weapons drawn, flying low below the cliffs around so that they could reach their allies, whilst also remaining out of melee range.

As Hiccup and Toothless ascended in the air, the young Viking looked down and saw how the unfolding chaos below began to slowly pick up. Dozens of warriors were at each other's throats, and arrows flew all over the battlefield like it was a siege.

Though in a way, it was a siege.

Hiccup grunted gutturally. "Right, Toothless. Let's get in close, and take out that foul weapon!"

The Dragon growled angrily, letting out a screech as a purple light glowed from his mouth. Fire began to charge up from within, and after a few seconds, Toothless let out a plasma blast towards the engineers arming the Devastator. However, only one of them received the hit.

The two of them looked back at the remaining engineer who was still operating the war machine, squinting their eyes with clear irritation, and as Toothless circled around to let forth another plasma blast, the Devastator immediately open fired upon Hiccup's allies.

The lever was pulled, and a ball of metal and fire once more came flying out of it's barrel and towards a small but clustered amount of warriors. Seven Warsung and Hooligans were blasted back in flames from the fiery explosion, whilst one of them took the brunt of it as parts of their limbs were severed off.

Hiccup could hear their screams from afar, both men and women.

"Damn!" he shouted. "If we take another hit like that, this battle will begin to turn in their favor. We can't let it happen again! ...Looks like we'll have to improvise."

The Rider steered Toothless back from the machine, hovering a distance away from it as they glanced at the engineer who was still arming it. He was about to reload and fire again.

"Right, Toothless. When he fires again, I want you to fire as well so that both the blast and projectile meet… before it can exit it's barrel entirely. You got it, Bud?"

Toothless nodded his head with a heavy release of air from his nostrils, and without a moment to lose, a plasma blast charged up from inside his mouth, and with all the strength he could muster, he held it in until the time was right.

"Hold…" said Hiccup, watching the engineer load up the iron cannon. He still wasn't ready to fire, but as time passed, the resistance of holding back the plasma blast weakened for Toothless. He could not hold it in any longer.

"Hold on Toothless, you almost got it!"

However, as he was about to get to the point, Hiccup looked down to his right and noticed a line of enemy archers forming up on the other side of the quarry, and quickly the Viking started to panic.

"Take aim!" one of the Iron Wolf archers called out.

"Now, Toothless! NOW!"

Toothless could no longer hold it in, and with a strong burst, he let out his plasma blast before instantly maneuvering forward - just in time as the archers began to fire.

"LOOSE!"

The archers let forth their arrows upon command, but thankfully for Hiccup, the arrows missed, and it was Stormfly who gave a response as she flew over the bowmen with Astrid atop her, breathing down magnesium flames and burning the men to a crisp.

The plasma blast sent out by Toothless as well found it's target, and as the engineer pulled the lever, the projectile was met with an abrupt explosion as both the blast and the metal met, resulting in an explosion as the engineer met his demise.

Hiccup cheered. "Nice going, Bud! …Now let's finish up here! Divebomb, Toothless! Aim for that chimney!"

Toothless roared with intimidation to the enemy, surprisingly loud enough to grab their attention as they looked around in fear from the sound that echoed through the wind like thunder.

"What was that!?" one of them shouted.

"What manner of trickery is this!?" another called out.

Toothless suddenly flew up into the air with lightning fast speed as a screech followed. His speed was fast enough to a point where not even a simple archer or siege weapon could aim and get a hit on the Dragon.

And, as the screech reached its peak and Toothless closed in, he let out a powerful plasma blast onto the Foundry's chimney, completely destroying it - and not only that, but flames and debris bursted outwards from the doors of the large forge.

It was a plasma blast that was large enough to send a shockwave of fire through the chimney and into the structure itself.

The Foundry soon as a result slowly started to collapse in on itself, and the remaining Iron Wolf warriors were cut down and blown to bits as Meatlug's lava blasts towards the anvils and forges nearby sent metal and flames flying over the area.

Hiccup breathed intensely, catching his breath as he looked around at what remained of the camp and quarry. It seemed nothing was left aside flames and debris.

From all that happened thus, far he took the time to get a real breather, landing next to Magnus who had finished up with an enemy warrior. He lightly sighed, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"We're finished with this camp." he said in a calm tone.

Magnus however shook his head. "It's not over… even after losing many good men and women today, we still have one last place to go to before we can make this battle successful. But…"

He looked around, desperately trying to spot the way out of the camp, but all he saw was the main gate, and nothing else aside it that led out. Was it a dead end?

However, a keen pair of eyes from Fishlegs was able to spot a way up as he noticed a path leading uphill and out of the camp. It was a small rear gate.

"Over here!" he called out, getting everyone's attention.

The warriors and maidens of the Hooligan and Warsung Tribes rallied towards the gate that led out onto a wider path, quickly making their way out as Hiccup and Magnus were once more at the front of their forces, with the Dragons at the rear.

It was time to continue on.

...

* * *

The path leading slightly uphill was indeed rocky, though it was easier to maneuver through as it provided more space for the warriors to follow along, and by this point, an ambush was very unlikely after taking on hundreds of enemy warriors with just a hundred of their own… although it was at a price.

Soon however, the group managed to stumble back once more into a forested area, and before them, a wide hill leading up laid before them. And at the top, a fortified tower with ballistas surrounding it came into view.

"Hold." Hiccup said in a hushed tone before looking around to inspect their surroundings.

From the distance, he could hear chattering between other Viking warriors. He could also tell that they were speaking in Norse.

"It seems there's no other way to pursue them, except a frontal charge." he said to the group in a soft voice. "I don't know what we can expect once we charge them."

"Doesn't matter, now does it?" scoffed Heather. "I just want to make these bastards pay for their running rampant across the Archipelago. And even if we don't win, at least we'll give them what's coming to them."

"Aye." nodded Sigurd. "Let's give them what they deserve."

Hiccup smirked, redrawing the Dragon's Blade from his sheathe and gripping it tightly in his left hand. "Let's do this then." he responded eagerly. "You with me, Toothless?"

The Night Fury responded with a growl, nodding his head at the scrawny Viking. Today, it would either be death, or victory.

And victory is what they would fight for.

Hiccup pulled his right leg back quietly, raising the sword in his right hand up before with a quick slice downwards, ordering the advance as he yelled to make their presence known; "CHARGE!"

The warriors and maidens rushed up the hill, screaming and letting out bloody cries whilst their weapons were raised. Their speed up the hill was with fury and haste, and it didn't take long for the Viking warriors at the top to eventually notice.

"OUTSIDERS!" one of them called out.

The captain commanding the squad at the top grinned, raising his axe as he tilted his head down from above the tower. "POSITIONS! MAN THE ARROW LAUNCHERS! Let's give them Hel!"

The warriors reacted with speed, forming a line at the top of the hill which barricaded the group's way towards the tower…

But that would not stop them.

However, it was then that Hiccup noticed at the top of the watchtower that two arrow launchers were now being operated, and after a short moment passed, they began to fire down arrows upon them.

"SHIELDS, RAISE!" he shouted loudly, getting the warband to raise their shields up in time, but it was barely enough for them to react as the poor timing caused two Vikings to fall from arrow fire.

Still, they continued their charge, feeling the arrows hit their shields with volley after volley. Soon, they were able to reach the battleline of Völsung warriors, causing the arrow launchers to cease fire, and immediately battle was joined.

The Berkians and Warsung bashed their way through the wall, quickly dismantling it as the fighting then began to spread out across the top of the hill. And although the Völsung had dozens of warriors equal to the Berkians and Warsung, it was not enough compared to what the group had in store for them.

However, compared to how Astrid, Fishlegs, and Heather fought in a similar way during the last encounter, Hiccup, Magnus, and Sigurd fought differently.

As Hiccup joined the battle, his ferocity and agility at that moment took hold of him as he begun fighting the enemy as if he were a wild animal. A wintry wolf. Or even a Dragon. Either way, it was about to become a slaughter for the enemy. Rather than relying on just skill and strategy, this time, he relied on his strength.

As an enemy approached him, he would use his haste and speed to strike out at them before the enemy could strike back, causing them for most of the time to react in raising their shields. But Hiccup didn't stop there. He would then raise both of his blades up and strike down at their protection with brute force - stronger than he could have ever imagined wielding.

As a result, the enemy would end up becoming pinned to the ground on their knees from the brutal attack, and from there, Hiccup would cut down the Viking, through the chest or wherever the enemy was most vulnerable.

Magnus fought with both of his hands on the hilt of his weapon, disposing his shield to the side as he stood in one spot, and allowed his enemies to come to him. Once they approached however, the Warsung Chieftain would reply with a flurry of slices and dices where the enemy would not expect it.

When they struck Magnus, the Viking would press his blade against his foe's weapon, pushing them back, disarming them, or placing them off balance. Afterwards, he would strike at the sides, aiming for the chest or limbs before hacking them down.

After finishing, he looked around himself and gave a growl of intimidation, but it was also provoking.

Sigurd wielded two axes in his hand. Being a Scandinavian, he fought similarly like how Magnus or even Ivar would fight. The lad would bring his axes around in a circle whenever someone attempted to strike him, and then he would counter attack them with hacks and slashes towards mainly the chest.

From there, he would go on a rampage and begin a chain attack. The more he fought, the more he craved finding his opponents and hacking them apart. Sigurd would even become swifter in his attacks, and more precise to where he would wish to strike his foe.

As he finished up with his current opponent, he turned around to face behind him, giving off a warcry as he was ready to slash at what he at first assumed was his enemy. However, familiar scrawny arms stuck out towards the Warsung Viking as he nearly made his attack.

"Whoa, hold!" gasped Hiccup, noticing Sigurd nearly about to strike him.

Immediately, the Scandinavian halted his attack, and held his axes up in the air tightly, slowly lowering them as he, Hiccup, and Magnus looked around at what remained of the enemy force.

All of them were slain… except for one.

Hiccup looked up towards the peak of the tower, noticing the captain as he backed up in a panic, giving off an anxious and intimidated tone.

"D- Don't touch me you filthy outsiders!" he shouted, but this just provoked them.

Hiccup grinned. "Nice try." he replied, before turning to glance at his Dragon. "Toothless, get him down here!"

The Night Fury huffed out air from his nostrils, flapping his wings and flying up towards the top of the tower. He immediately grabbed ahold of the war captain, squeezing tightly with his paws before flying down back to Hiccup where he dropped the captain in the middle of many angry Vikings.

Upon being dropped to the ground, the captain chuckled, but wheezed as Magnus grabbed ahold of his neck, choking him.

The Warsung Chief grunted. "What was Ivar's plan all along!?" he demanded. "Fortified camps were set along our path to this overlook, and an army was already in our way upon landing on the shore! You knew easy that any Dragon would've been shot down if they flew near here, but how did you figure out where we would land!?"

The captain laughed, eyes widened insanely at Magnus. "Fool!" he splurted. "You don't know WHAT you are up against! Our King has had plans for you from the start… and you have underestimated him! You have fallen into his trap!"

Magnus gripped his sword tightly, immediately plunging the blade into right the side of the Viking's chest as he screamed.

"What do you mean, you damned raider!? HOW DID HE FIGURE OUT OUR PLOY!?" shouted Magnus.

The Viking gasped for air, gurgling as if he was choking on his own blood, in which in this case he was. "Fool…" he whispered. "The Fall of Dragons… is just beginning..."

"Fall of Dragons…?" Magnus gasped, staring down at the body with his eyes widened, hoping for an answer. But it was too late. All he stared at now was the corpse of a dead raider.

"Dammit!" Magnus said, sighing in desperation from what he heard. And yet the thought about what he heard still made him very curious. The Fall of Dragons. What was it?

This also struck Hiccup as he looked down at the corpse. "The Fall of Dragons? ...Surely it can't just mean that they're going to try and kill all the Dragons?"

"I don't see how they would." Astrid replied, holding the top of the blade of her axe. "If Ivar had any sort of Dragons at his command, he would turn the tide of war in his favor rather than just upright execute them."

Fishlegs arched his brow, rubbing his chin. "So then what could it be?

Heather sighed, shaking her head as she looked outwards to her West. "It doesn't matter guys… look."

The others turned around to face Heather who stood looking out in the distance, and as they walked towards her, they saw the smoke rising up in the air, as well as the intense fighting that was still going on from afar.

Many were dead on the shore.

Although, it was then that Hiccup noticed a mass of Vikings, Varangians, and Barbarians rallying up as they began running into a different direction. However, they were not running away or retreating.

They were heading towards their direction.

"Dammit! We've been spotted!" Hiccup grunted.

"There's at least three hundred of them!" Sigurd gasped, spinning his axes in circles. "It's time for a slaughter!"

Hiccup then looked Eastwards, and in the distance, he saw the port-hold of Skyrsdok, fortified, and guarded with warriors patrolling and watching from afar. Though it was far, he was at least able to see the fleet of ships ported in it's docks with an iron cog ship guarding them.

An idea soon sparked on him though as he spotted a nearby Devastator. Unmanned, and not loaded.

A grin formed on his face.

"Right, gang! New plan!" he said, refreshed with eagerness. "We can hope to hold them off whilst attempting to use our Dragons to destroy that fleet. Thus, we will improvise."

Sigurd rose a brow. "Improvise? What do you mean, Hiccup?"

"That Devastator right there." he pointed out. "It's not loaded or manned. But there's ammunition piled up next to it that we can use upon that center cog ship. Heather, Fishlegs, you two will man and arm that machine. The rest of us will hold off the army until we can get a shot. Then, we'll finish them off."

"Sounds good enough." Astrid replied in agreement.

"Then it's settled." nodded Magnus. "Everyone, to your positions!"

The warriors and maidens immediately fell into position, forming their ranks along the edge of the cliffs and facing towards the marching force of three hundred Vikings, Varangians, and Barbarians. The sound of their boots stomping could be heard from where they were.

The Dragons and archers lined up behind the line of shield bearers and shield maidens, preparing to give everything they have. And all the meanwhile, Heather and Fishlegs were learning how to arm the Devastator.

Eventually, the enemy came into range.

"Archers, knot!" Hiccup shouted, giving his command, and the bowmen reacted on accord as their arrows were loaded and ready.

"Draw!" he continued on with, and once more they reacted on command, drawing their arrows in a disciplined manner until it was time to unleash Hel upon the enemy.

"LOOSE!"

The arrows went flying like rain in the air onto the enemy, and as they landed, nearly a dozen were hit, but that did not stop them.

Hiccup then decided to apply some pressure. And so, he turned to his Dragon. "Toothless, plasma blast!"

Toothless roared, lighting his mouth up with fire and charging it up before letting it out. The blast as a result was able to take down five, but still, it was not enough.

Hiccup looked to his left and right flanks. "Archers, fire at will!"

Upon command from the young Viking, volleys upon volleys of arrows soon followed as the bowmen started to apply real pressure onto the enemy. Even Sigurd took out his bow and began to snipe the enemy with arrows.

However, the enemy would eventually reach the cliffs, and they soon began to climb up them as if they were climbing ladders. To Hiccup, it was like the Siege of Berk all over again.

"Raise shields, Warsung! Here they come!" Magnus shouted, causing the Warsung warriors at the front to put their shields up like a barricade. And as soon as the first few enemy warriors reached them, they were immediately cut down or pushed off the cliff.

The attack had now begun.

Though, as arrows rained over head, and Dragon fire pounded down on the enemy, a Devastator quickly came rolling into view and prepared to fire towards the cliffs.

"Devastator coming in! It's going to blow us to bits!" Sigurd called out, hacking a Barbarian off the cliff.

Hiccup tilted his head to Sigurd. "You worry about these heathens, I'll have the cannon dealt with! Toothless!"

The Night Fury obliged, spreading his wings wide out as he ran to the left to get a clear shot. A screech then immediately followed as he began to charge up a plasma blast towards the Devastator that was firing at them, and as he did, the sound of his charge echoed like a boom through the wind as it was heard even from afar, and soon enough, he let it out.

The bright purple ball of fire went hurling towards the enemy Devastator, and upon impact, the iron cannon would burst into flames and burning metal as it sent a shockwave of fire out, burning more than two dozen warriors.

"Haha! Nice shooting Toothless!" Hiccup replied, still slashing from behind the shield wall as if his weapons were spears. However, despite all he and the group sent out at the enemy, they still kept advancing.

"There's… so many of them." Astrid sighed, becoming exhausted from continuously fighting on. But Magnus would not let another single warrior or maiden, regardless of both Tribes, fall to the enemy.

"Don't give in! We've got them where we want them… WARSUNG, PUSH THEM OFF!"

The Warsung shield bearers in unison replied with a; "HOO!" raising their shields forward and pushing the current wave of enemies off the cliff in a large blob, causing them to be met by falling to their deaths atop their own men and atop the rocks.

Though eventually, the effort would as a whole prevail as the enemy soon began to slowly flee - especially since the Dragons begun blasting chunks of the cliff down onto them. As a whole, they started routing, but would only be met by arrows being plunged into them.

"Haha! Run then, you cowards!" Sigurd taunted.

Astrid laughed. "You messed with the wrong Vikings today, muttonheads!"

The Warsung and Berkians cheered, mocking the enemy who was retreating and getting impaled by arrow fire. After all they went through; to Hiccup, it seemed that even a hundred along with the right strength, skill, and strategy could prevail against nearly a thousand.

However, there was one more thing for them to do before they could move on.

Fishlegs pulled down the latch of the Devastator, readying it up, and thus the war machine was loaded with an explosive shot, ready to be unleashed upon the fleet.

"That's it!" Fishlegs said. "She's loaded, Hiccup. Let's finish this!"

Hiccup nodded, rushing up towards the Devastator whilst also staring at the fleet in the distance, picturing what it would be as soon as it would explode into debris and flames. He knew that a single shot towards the iron cog ship would conflagrate the stocks of oil and tar aboard it, thus it would be enough to destroy the entire fleet ported near.

And so, with a few simple moves of his hand, he would grasp ahold of the lever that would fire the armed war machine…

…And he would pull it.

...

* * *

Stoick looked all around him as he finished up with his remaining opponent on the battlefield. After dealing with the general, the army that he and the other Tribes were facing began to splinter and dissipate as one by one, the enemy remnants fell.

And it was then, that he heard a loud boom.

In the distance, to his West, his saw a great burst of flames and smoke fly up into the air in the form of a fiery black cloud, and immediately, he knew what happened.

"They did it…" he said to himself, grinning almost as if he was in a daydream. "Ah, Hiccup. You're going to make a fine Chieftain someday for Berk-"

However, the attention of Dagur approaching him with the other Chieftains would catch his attention, snapping him out of his daydream. From their looks and expressions, it seemed that they were holding up… though they were also somewhat exhausted.

"Stoick…" begun Dagur. "We really did kick the Hel out of those heathens, didn't we?"

The Chieftain nodded back. "Aye… but at a heavy price."

"And a heavy price, indeed," the Berserker replied. "We lost at least four hundred of our warriors today. It seemed that no matter how many we killed, the enemy still kept refreshing their numbers… but I have no clue where they could have been coming from. The sky like rain and snow maybe? Haha…"

"We can't be certain." Arngrim replied. "Those bastards took out a heavy number for our end, but we also did the same. Let's hope the power shifts in our favor though, because it seems our training was worth it."

Alvin chuckled. "Heh, f'three of those Vikings did not 'ave tha strength ta take down a single Outcast. Took 'em twice tha' amount ta actually do sum'fing."

"And that just rests our case of how skilled we are against our combatant." Mala replied.

Just as they were about to continue their conversation however, Throk, Mala's right hand, rose his voice up as he pointed out towards the distance where he spotted a mob of figures coming to them. "Look!"

Everyone turned their heads to the West, staring down the figures who ran towards them - exhausted, and… familiar. Stoick immediately knew who it was, and soon the Chieftains figured it out as well. They, along with Stoick, and the army, cheered for Hiccup and the group.

"He did it, didn't he?" Snotlout said, smirking. "Now that's what I call being a Viking."

Hiccup jogged with his blades sheathed and drawn. By that point he was exhausted from fighting and going through so much along the path to Skyrsdok's overlook, and even the Dragons, despite having breaks where they could recharge their shot limit, seemed as tired as the others.

As the young Viking approach his father, Stoick gave him a light pat on the shoulder, smiling at him with pride on how his efforts paid off well.

"You did it, Son." he responded cheerfully. "I thought that it was indeed going to be another suicide mission. But by Odin, I was wrong! And for that, I thank him for guiding us through-"

"I- It's not- over yet, Dad. We're no- not done here." Hiccup replied hoarsely, breathing intensely.

The Berkian Chief looked at his son with a smirking face at first, thinking he was making a joke. But one of his brows would arch up as he became curious. The cheering also stopped.

"What are you talking about, Son?" he asked him.

"The trip along the path was a near suicide." replied Magnus, approaching Stoick with his Warsung by his side. "It was a death trap, Stoick. There were camps waiting for us, filled with dozens of warriors from all of the major Clans. All four of them. And then in the end, we were spotted by a large group of Vikings, Barbarians and Rus' Varangians at the overlook. They climbed up the cliffs and tried to overrun us… but we got back at them."

"So how did you get out of there?" asked a familiar voice. A friendly feminine figure came into view, and before Magnus, there stood Eira with a worried look.

Magnus sighed. "Well, we climbed down the cliffs. Took a bit of time, but we managed… mostly."

The young woman approached Magnus, lowering her hood as she counted up all of the warriors that were with him. He and Hiccup combined were more than a dozen warriors short compared to what they had last time. And as soon as Eira closed in on Magnus, she grabbed ahold of him and hugged him.

"...I could have lost you." Eira said to him, feeling his arms wrap around her.

"But I'm here, aren't I?" he replied, splitting after a moment passed - and the two looked at each other in their eyes, staring. The two Vikings slightly chuckled, but their expressions quickly turned back to serious looks as soon as Stoick brought back their attentions.

"Uh… About the camps?" Stoick asked, catching Magnus' glance. "How exactly could they have been there? It's not like Ivar was expecting us."

"...He was." Astrid said, shaking her head. "Apparently, all of this was planned out from the start. But we have no idea on how he could have figured our ploy out. There is no way that we could have been sold out, or even have a spy amidst our ranks. Everyone who is sided with us hates that bastard Ivar-"

A gasp would suddenly interrupt Astrid, grabbing everyone's eyes as Hiccup spoke with a cautious tone. "I wouldn't speak so loudly… Look up there, upon the hill!"

Pointing up towards the hill that laid to the East made everyone change their direction, looking up at the very top of the hill. At the peak, they saw four figures standing there with their weapons unsheathed, giving grim looks at the Archipelago Vikings as the wind blew in their faces. The sunlight from behind the heavy clouds also gave appearance as to who they were.

The Iron Wolf, Bloody Berserker, Broken Axe, and Dark Eye Chieftains stood there. All four of them looking upon the Vikings with nasty looks. It seemed that all the effort Hiccup and the others put in an attempt to stop them had just made them angrier.

Toothless looked up at them, growling loudly as he was tempted to try and take them on. But he knew that he had reached his shot limit at the moment.

However, something followed that neither Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, or even any of the Chieftains or others had expected seeing before them.

The four Clan Chieftains stepped to the side to spread, almost as if they were making room for a figure to stand in between them - but that was exactly what they were doing, because after a short moment, an evil, tall, and intimidating figure came into view, carrying a long metal rod like a cane. It was at least intimidating for Hiccup, because before him, the leader of the Great Viking Army stood.

Ivar the Boneless had finally shown himself.

The young Lothbrök looked upon the two and a half thousand Archipelago Vikings, and he scoffed in amusement. But his face would soon turn into an evil, pissy expression.

His brows lowered. "How pathetic!" he called out. "After so much killing and hunting from within your precious Archipelago, this is _all_ you bring, TO FACE ME!? And you some how managed to destroy another one of my fleets!"

All eyes were widened at Ivar. For many, they didn't expect him to look slightly older, or even nearly as young as Hiccup. But the young Viking shook his head at Ivar.

"All of this started because you just wanted me dead!" Hiccup shouted, stepping forth. "You made a great enemy, Boneless! We've brought Dragons to the doorstep of your kingdom, and we shall fight with them until you're dead. ALL OF YOU!"

"Us… BE KILLED!? HAH!" laughed Ivar. "Hiccup! You are such a fool, but also bold to call me by my title! I may be a cripple, BUT IN MY EYES, YOU ARE A SLAVE WITH NO FAMILY!"

"He has me, stupid boy!" Stoick said, stepping forward. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is my son! He was brought into this world by my love who was taken and eaten by Dragons! For you, you have no right to call him a slave!"

"How cute…" Ivar responded, unsurprised. "The Slave has a father! ...But what makes you think he can protect you forever!?"

"It's not just him!"

Another voice called out to Ivar, and he felt his senses slightly tingle at the tone. He looked down towards the army, and at the front, he saw a familiar, pale, black long-haired young man who stepped forth with his sword gripped. Magnus came forward to show himself, and Ivar was shocked to see him still alive.

"Magnus…" he said softly to himself. "How… are you ALIVE!? YOU WERE DROWNED! I ORDERED MY MEN TO KILL YOU AND DROWN YOU IN THE OCEAN!"

"IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST PLAIN SEA WATER TO KILL ME, BOY!" spat back Magnus. "You've done nothing but hunt us, kill us, commit genocide on us, and even plunder our VERY lives away! Many innocents died because of you. And honestly, I wonder how those in Kattegat will hold up once you start taking their food for your _Great Army!_ Some Boy-King YOU TURNED OUT TO BE!"

Ivar took this deeply as an insult, gripping his axe tightly with his right hand. And after a small moment of silence followed, he chuckled… and then laughed… and finally cackled.

"You…" he began. "You must be so eager to face me, aren't you!? YOU JUST SIGNED YOUR DEATH WISH!"

Ivar raised his axe high up into the air, taking in a deep breath; and then instantly, he began to shout out in Norse.

"SKEGGOLD! SKÁLMOLD! SKILDIR RO KLOFNIR!"

The Vikings looked at each other, curious as to what Ivar was attempting to do, and after that, he just began to chant it. But even the four Chieftains near him also started to chant it.

However, it did not end there since eventually, there came what sounded like multiple voices, shouting and resonating from atop the hill. And then, Hiccup, the Riders, the Chieftains, the Dragons, and the others soon saw it all.

Along the hill, dozens and dozens of Vikings, Barbarians, and Varangians lined up next to Ivar and began chanting along with him. Fifty on each flank. But to Hiccup, it sounded not like a hundred but…

"No…" he gasped upon realization.

Astrid turned to face him. "What is it, Hiccup?" she asked, tensed up.

"He's brought them all here…" he replied, panicked. "They're here… they're ALL here! Ivar's brought the whole Great Army with him!"

And Hiccup would be proven right. The thousands of voices resonating from behind the hill proved so - and now, the Tribes had no chance against them. Along with that, another dozen Devastators came into view, reinforcing Ivar, and making it definite that he would win then and there.

Ivar would stop chanting, but the rest of the army still continued on. The horrid noise of the chant echoed loudly in Hiccup's ears. He understood well what it meant.

"SKEGGOLD! SKÁLMOLD! SKILDIR RO KLOFNIR!"

Dagur spun to gaze at Hiccup, eyes widened. "What do we do!?"

...One word came to Hiccup's mind as he glanced at everyone. There was no choice at that point.

"Run." Hiccup said.

"What?" Astrid asked, but Hiccup would only repeat himself once more.

"RUN!"

The Vikings scattered, running with desperation filled within them. Their thoughts now was to run to their North, towards the opened plains. But for Ivar, he was going to make it barely an escape for them.

He raised his axe again, but this time, swiped it down vertically. "CHAAARGE!"

The chants turned into screams and battlecries as from atop the hill, Vikings, Barbarians, and Rus' came pouring down the hill like an avalanche. First in their hundreds, and then slowly in their thousands.

Even the Devastators, which were locked and loaded, began hurling a rain of burning metal towards the Tribes.

"INCOMING!" Eira shouted, running as fast as she could with the Warsung.

However, regardless of how fast any warrior or maiden ran, that did not change the fact that the _whole_ Great Army was behind them. And whilst they ran, their brothers and sisters-in-arms fell to Devastator fire.

Even Hiccup, who was attempting to fly away on Toothless along with the other riders, felt something explode from behind him; and in turn, he and Toothless were knocked out of the sky, and towards the ground.

"Brace yourself, Bud!" he yelled, all before landing roughly on his back as he felt his entire world slowly begin fading to black.

...After all he and his friends fought for. After all that they went through just to stop an evil that was threatening to take over their homes and take away their lives. Was this how it was supposed to end? Was he meant to fail along with his best friends and Dragon, and have the enemy soon conquer the Archipelago? This couldn't be the end.

But as his sight became blurry and his vision turned black - he felt a pair of arms grasp around him, almost as if he was about to be carried to safety.

And then, there was nothing...

* * *

 **Next chapter will be a very small time skip. But know that this isn't the end! - Also, I'm going to cut you guys a break on the conflict for next chapter. ;)**

 _ **But for now,**_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	42. Waking To Ruin

**And so, here we are! Did you guys think I was going to end of the story last chapter, or this chapter? Nonono, my friends! We still have a long way to go! For this chapter, I decided to cut a break on the conflict just so you all get an idea of what the aftermath is like, and what our characters will now go through as a result. However, I still hope you guys like this one! ;)**

 **Also, thanks to Xythisdi1987, Zoeki, Dabzzygirl, and KorrieChan for reviewing last chapter! Glad you guys enjoyed it!**

 **Now then, let's see what happens this time, shall we?**

* * *

Hiccup felt a soft breeze hit his face as his vision slowly begun to come back to him, but he was unsure of where he was at first - as everything was very blurry and poorly sighted from his vision. Though what he did know was that he was laying down atop a bedroll.

He then felt cold drops of water hit his face as if it was rain falling from the sky, but as his sense of sound cleared up, he could hear better from the environment around him.

And he was right. It was rain falling down on him.

Soon enough, his vision would become clear entirely. He opened his eyes widely and faced up from where he laid, noticing that he was lying from underneath a tree. But more notably, he was in the middle of a forest under the cover of night.

He also noticed to his left that there was a dim lit lantern that was slightly opened, as well as a brown furred cloak covering him as if it were a blanket.

He sighed, shaking his head as he attempted to sit up. Though as he did, he felt his left shoulder ache with pain, and he groaned before grasping onto it.

"Gah…" he grunted, staring around to inspect his surroundings. "Where am I?"

A nearby voice would suddenly catch his attention as he saw a familiar figure sigh in relief upon seeing him awaken from his unconsciousness.

"Ah… you're finally awake." he replied back to Hiccup. "I was worried that we lost you back on the shore when I took you to safety. But here you are, all in one piece. Thank the Gods you are still alive, brother."

Hiccup gave a small grin, glad to be seeing the familiar face of his friend. It was Magnus.

"You're alive…" Hiccup said in a weak voice.

Magnus replied with a nod. "Of course I am. What were you thinking? That a simple pellet of burning metal could take me down? Well think again."

Hiccup shrugged, giving off an exhausted sigh as he slowly proceeded to rotate his body to face Magnus, whilst also keeping the cloak on for warmth. He then looked around, knowing definite that he was in the middle of the woods. But exactly where?

"Where are we, Magnus?" he asked the older Viking.

"We're in a forest, of course." he replied. "Specifically a forest North and far from where we landed. For now, it's our temporary shelter."

"...Temporary?"

He nodded back at the younger lad. "Aye… it's really unfortunate that we could not take Skyrsdok hold. And now we're stuck here in the middle of this forest as a result, with very limited troops."

Hiccup's head immediately looked up towards Magnus, eye-widened. "Wait- what? ...What happened to our forces?"

The Viking sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Hiccup." he said softly. "When the entirety of the Great Army showed up and started chasing us down, many were caught in the crosshairs of battle - all from their overwhelming haste. We suffered greatly by the hundreds; five hundred more warriors lost to be precise, and many more were taken prisoner."

"...Astrid and your friends, along with their Dragons, were among the ones who were captured."

Hiccup gasped upon hearing the name. "Astrid…" he whispered as he tightened his hand into a fist and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. His friends, their Dragons, and the beautiful caring shield maiden who he loved, were captured by Ivar and now directly in the palm of his dirty hands.

'How could this have happened?' he thought, discarding the cloak, and closing his eyes as he felt a single tear shed from his both of his eyes.

"W- What about Toothless? What about my father?" he asked Magnus, stuttering.

"...Stoick is missing in action." he responded, kneeling down to his level and placing a hand on his shoulder. "He and the other Chieftains escaped with some of their men, whilst Eira and Sigurd are out there somewhere, likely with the rest of the Warsung… I on the other hand only managed to save fifteen of my men."

He then exhaled a breath of air, tilting his head to his right. "...And as for Toothless."

Hiccup opened his eyes, staring into the direction of where Magnus was looking. In the distance, he saw a black scaly figure laying down atop heated earth, exhausted, and injured with cuts and wounds.

The young Viking gasped. "Toothless."

He quickly stood to his feet, walking over to the wounded yet exhausted Night Fury who laid flat on his stomach, and upon getting a closer glimpse at his companion, his friend, he became shocked as he stared at the Dragon's tail. He knelt down, and took a look at what had now become of it.

Toothless no longer had a tail fin.

"Wha- ...What happened, Magnus?" he asked him. "What happened to Toothless' tail fin? I thought..."

Hiccup suddenly lost his words as they gulped down his throat like a boat being washed away down-river.

"Hiccup…" Magnus said to him, feeling further pity for the younger Viking. "When- When you and Toothless were shot out of the sky, the Devastator that fired on you managed to hit the back of Toothless' tail. However, the left tail fin ignited in flames, and upon landing with impact, it was incinerated. We were only able to escape atop Toothless because his speed by foot was quick enough to outrun the enemy, and by then, the Devastators were out of range."

"...I am sorry, Hiccup. Toothless can't fly again."

The younger lad sighed, huffing out a breath of air from his mouth as his fist tightened its grip. The tears that went down his face no longer mattered to him as all that was left was pure hate, and a desire for vengeance.

His brows lowered, now blinded in anger.

"Ivar did this… and I will make him pay with his life for it!" he growled, standing to his feet and quickly reaching for the Dragon's Blade sheathed around his waist - but as he did, Magnus' hand suddenly met his as the older Viking gently pulled him back.

"Hold, Hiccup." Magnus replied calmly. "You're being too heavy on yourself. In this state, you can never fight against Ivar and hope to succeed. The best thing to do right now is to rest and regather our strength, and then we will find your friends and free them from our foe's clutches… I promise you this. The time to fight will come, but it is not now."

The scrawny Viking looked down in guilt, slowly nodding his head. "I guess you're right. But it's just that- ...it pains me to see Toothless like this. He is my friend and I cannot risk losing him. He's-"

Magnus held up a hand, calming Hiccup of his words before his hands once more met his shoulders. "We will tend to him however we can, my friend. Together; you and I. And besides; a friend of Hiccup Haddock is a friend of mine. I won't let you down, lad. I'm sure that-"

The snap of a distant branch suddenly interrupted Magnus as he turned his head to the right, and from afar, he heard hasty footsteps rushing towards his direction. They were light, but the Chieftain also recognized them by the way they moved.

"It's alright, men." he called out. "You can show yourselves now."

The shadowy figures reacted on the Chieftain's command, and before them stood the fifteen Warsung warriors that Magnus managed to save, unharmed and active.

They all walked forward towards the Chieftain, grouping up around him with their undivided attention on him.

"What news do you have to report?" Magnus asked them. "You came back so soon that I trust that you have completed your mission in scouting out the woods?"

"We have, sir." the captain replied. "But unfortunately we found nothing besides an abandoned camp that doesn't seem to have any useful supplies. There are tents, but a few of them seem to be in bad shape."

The young Chief nodded his head in approval. "It will have to suffice for now. And besides, we need to get out of this rain as soon as possible, or else we might catch a cold." he stated.

Though after Magnus finished his short talk, Hiccup himself then spoke up to the warriors. "Was there by chance… you found anything else?" he asked.

The captain stood still at first, wondering what else to say to Hiccup and Magnus on the matter if there was anything else - but then a thought immediately bursted from his mind, and he remembered something.

"There is something… or well, someone."

Magnus arched a brow. "Someone?" he asked.

"One of our men spotted someone running through the woods, not far from here. They couldn't get a perfect glimpse at who it was, but what is for certain is that it was a figure who looked about your height, sir… I think I know who it was."

Curiosity now ran through Magnus, as well as slight shock on the matter that now pressed on him. "Who was it, captain?"

...

* * *

Eira ran through the woods with her hood tucked forward, and her cloak discarded as a result of the battle. By then, she did not know where she was, or to where she was going to. But what was for certain was that she was lost.

She sprinted faster, breathing intensely whilst looking back to see that she was not being followed. The thought of Ivar's warriors still following her was at the top of her mind, and all the while, it kept her anxious and tensed up. Anything could happen at that moment.

But still, even as the rain fell on her, and her negative thoughts coursed through her head, she still kept running, still having no idea of where she was headed to.

"Where am I!?" she said to herself, worried and scared. "Where in the name of the damn Gods am I!? Thor, Odin, someone! Please, tell me where I am-"

Suddenly, she felt a stumped rock hit the front of her foot, and just like that, she fell down to the ground almost head first, landing onto her chest in watery dirt as a result of the rain, though her face missed and remained untouched. Only Eira's lower chest and waist was covered in the muddy soil.

Slowly, Eira lifted herself up with the support of her arms, and began limping forward, only to stop after several paces before collapsing back down on the ground, landing once again on her chest. It was nearly hopeless.

This time, she did not bother standing back up. She curled herself up into a ball, lifting her knees up and placing her arms around her legs, and she felt a tear run down her face - before another one followed; and then another, and then another.

She was truly all alone.

"...Magnus." she whispered, putting a hand on her eyes as she started to sob. "Where are you when I need you the most, Magnus? Where are you...?"

Eira gasped in her tears and continued sobbing, now crying, loud enough for anyone from several yards away to hear. But at that point, it didn't matter to her.

She was all alone with no signs of hope around her. She felt like there was no one there to help her in a time of desperate need, and her negative emotions began to overwhelm her like a large wave of fire burning inside of her head. Eira no longer knew what to do at that point.

"Why me...?" she continued sobbing, now placing both of her hands over her eyes to cover them as if she herself was isolated from everything around her.

...But that would not be the case.

The sudden snap of twigs and leaves would immediately catch Eira's attention, slightly tensing her up towards the fear that perhaps Ivar's warriors did not give up the chase, and had most likely found her. But still, she kept her eyes covered as her tears continued pouring down her cheeks.

"Please…" she whimpered. "Just leave me alone! I don't want anymore suffering, please just-!"

Before she could finish speaking however; gentle, masculine hands soon met Eira's palms, moving them slowly away from her face as a soft huff of warm air hit her skin, and a familiar presence was now standing before her. It was one she thought that she would never see again.

"Eira…" Magnus said to her. "You know in a hundred years that I would never abandon you. To me, you are part of my everything, and I swore to you that I would stay by your side until the bitter end. Do you think after everything, I would just forget about you? I would never, ever, risk losing you."

The Viking lightly gasped as she tilted her head to look slightly up, and before her teary eyes, there he was, kneeling down to her level.

"Magnus…" she whispered in a sob as she lunged herself towards the lad's chest, resting her head against his shoulder and placing her arms around him in a hug. She was truly relieved, but still in a negative state.

"Please don't leave me...!" she said to him, still sobbing. "Please don't leave me again, Magnus-!"

Magnus sighed at Eira with heavy pity, grasping his arms around her to return a hug whilst resting his chin atop her head to her to give her warm comfort even though she was still silently sobbing into his shoulder.

One of his hands reached behind Eira's head, stroking her hair. "It's alright, Eira..." he replied softly. "I am here now…"

The two sat there for a very long moment, with Magnus still comforting Eira who kept her head placed against his shoulder despite the mud on her lower chest, though his chin was also still atop her head. But as they remained in that position, Magnus rocked her slowly and gently back and forth, almost as if she was precious to him.

And yet all the meanwhile they sat there together, the cold rain from the night sky still fell upon the forest, reflecting the feelings that the two Vikings shared for each other.

…

* * *

Hiccup poked a stick around in the small fire that he had set up next to Toothless, making sure that it remained lit, and warm enough for the two of them.

Because the rain had started die down a little bit as time went on, it soon became appropriate for him to set up a fire. By that point it was now just drizzle coming down.

The Warsung warriors too had been able to setup fires around the site, and they even managed to salvage up tents from the abandoned camp which were now placed all around the area to provide shelter for themselves, as well as for Hiccup, Magnus, and Eira.

However, despite the cover being placed around for everyone to sleep under and to shelter in, everyone was more active and on the lookout rather than exhausted or rested. They were all uneasy.

Especially Hiccup who sat there next to his Dragon, rubbing his palm softly against Toothless' head to keep him relaxed and comfortable. He still could not forgive what Ivar had done to the Night Fury, and one way or another, he would make the Boy-King pay for it.

"Just hang in there, Toothless." he whispered to the Dragon. "You'll be back up on your feet in no time."

He gave his Dragon one last pat on the head before standing up to his feet, and turning to walk in the other direction, particularly towards Magnus and Eira who sat in front of a fire together, drinking water from leather canteens and talking quietly.

Though as Hiccup slowly approached them, both their attentions fell on the younger lad, and Magnus gave a nod at him.

"Sorry- if I'm disturbing you." he said, glancing at the two. "I was just wondering if I could-"

"Go ahead, feel free to sit." Magnus replied, ahead to answering Hiccup's question. "Also, there's really no need to ask. You're not disturbing anyone."

The scrawny Viking nodded, sitting opposite from Magnus and Eira on the other side of the fire, although the two of them still continued to gaze at it. By then, it was almost as if they had nothing to say, though Hiccup was in a rather talkative mood.

"So…" he began. "Is there anything that I should know? I mean, Eira was out there, so perhaps she knew what happened to everyone?"

"...I do." she nodded with her head still resting on Magnus' shoulder. "Though believe it or not, our friends and allies may be closer than you think they are."

Hiccup arched a brow, curious. "What do you mean."

She rotated her eyes to face the young man. "When I was running away from the enemy and into the plains with our allies, Ivar ordered a portion of his forces to follow us, and they surprisingly managed to chase us all the way here, into this forest… but the main point being is that Ivar also ordered the prisoners of whom he captured to be brought along in the pursuit. That way, when the rest of us are found, they will execute us altogether."

She lightly chuckled. "I have an idea of where your friends and their Dragons are, but they don't know where _we_ are."

Hiccup's eyes widened at the lass' description. "My friends are out there, in these woods? Are you sure about that?"

"I am certain." she responded, now gazing at the fire. "I saw them rolling cages and pulling chained warriors who were cuffed in irons. For the most part however, they chased us through marching, attempting to use their numbers to outmaneuver us. Thankfully, I managed to outrun them."

Hiccup scoffed. "Bringing prisoners along to pursuit their allies? That is the stupidest move Ivar could make."

"Aye, indeed… but at least we know that our friends are being held up somewhere out here." Magnus replied, glancing at both of them with his eyes. "However, we just need to figure out where they are located _exactly._ Assuming where they are won't cut it, and we can only hope they are all still in one piece."

Hiccup nodded in agreement, gripping one of his blades. "They already caused enough harm to Toothless, and I won't let the same fate fall on my friends. Once we go out there to fight them, I will-"

As Hiccup unsheathed the sword of which he wielded with his right hand, he immediately heard a metal _crack_ emanate from inside the sheath as he pulled it out… To his surprise, he found the mighty weapon now splintered into two.

"What…?" was all Hiccup could before giving off a heavy and unamused sigh... The sword that Magnus had given to him a long while back in Kattegat which he used to kill hundreds of warriors was now shattered into two halves, leaving only the hilt attached to part of the blade, along with the other half still inside the sheath.

"It seems that heavy fall from the Devastator fire destroyed more than just Toothless' tail fin." Magnus replied, shaking his head. "But I don't blame you for what happened. There's nothing that could have been done at that point regardless of the outcome…"

He immediately stood up from the log he sat on, lightly nudging Eira's head off his shoulder before approaching Hiccup from around, and sticking his hand out towards the splintered sword.

"Here, let me take that blade." he said to Hiccup. "Even though I can't fix your Dragon's tail, maybe there is something that I can do about that old sword of yours."

"...Well- I guess you can say that I no longer have need of it." replied Hiccup as he willingly handed over the hilt and sheath that held the other half of the sword. "It's your sword that you gave to me, after all. And besides, I already have another weapon which you made for me. I will gladly use it more in battle against the enemies we have yet to face."

"Hmph. If you insist." the older Viking smirked, taking the hilt and sheath of his old blade before walking back towards the spot he sat on and laying it by his left side. Yet as he sat down next to Eira, Hiccup from across the fire noticed that the two were holding hands together tightly, almost as if they were beginning some sort of bond like he did with Astrid.

...But by Odin, how could he know?

The only thing he was concerned about however, was his own stomach. He felt it groan from hunger, and he soon realized that if he and the others were to have any chance of survival - they would need gather something to consume on.

If not, then he and the others would starve to death...


	43. Hunger and Desperation

**Before beginning with this chapter, I'd just like to take a brief moment and thank everyone for a new milestone.**

 **This story had reached an astounding FIFTY THOUSAND views, and all I can say is; that is insane! Half a hundred thousand! I never imagined that this story would get this far, but here we still are! And thus, I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for reading so far! But still, we have quite a way to go! We are not done yet!**

 **Also, thanks to KorrieChan and dabzzygirl for reviewing last chapter! Great as usual, guys!**

 **Now then, let's continue with a "sneaky" chapter! (Pun somewhat intended.)**

* * *

The next morning came by like a breeze to Hiccup as he sat by the fire in front of Toothless, yet no matter how much he slept that night, he was still desperate to scout out the forest to find what signs he could of his friends; especially since his stomach now rumbled like a Rumblehorn.

He sighed, glancing at the dancing flames before diverting his attention on to Magnus. "We need to find food soon, Magnus, otherwise we will starve to death out here. Who knows how long it will take before we are found."

"Be patient, Hiccup." the older Viking assured him. "We've only just sent our scout out about half an hour ago, although he should be returning soon. If we're lucky, then perhaps he could've found a source of food for us."

"We'll see." replied Eira, peering off into the distance. "It's still quite a bit drizzly from last night ever since the rain started falling, and the whole area's become foggy. We don't know if-"

Before she could finish, a voice rose up. "Look! Over there! It's our scout!"

In the distance, the Warsung scout which Magnus sent out came into view, and unexpectingly to them, from atop a horse. To this, the Chief arched his brow in curiosity. Perhaps he indeed found something.

As the scout approached Magnus, he gave the Chieftain a firm nod and gazed at him with attention, knowing that his leader had questions.

"Well, what did you find?" asked Magnus. "And more importantly… where did you get that horse?"

"I'll tell you about the horse in a moment." the scout responded to him. "But know that I found food supplies, Chieftain. To the West of here there is a Hunting Lodge which stacks the meat of animals, and a Farm with a granary and barn that houses boar and yak. If we sack both places, we can have have enough for feeding at least a hundred warriors and maidens for weeks. The farm is also the place where I found horses, so that may prove useful."

The captain next to Magnus sighed, shaking his head. "But we can't go." he replied to the group. "We still need to heal up and get some rest. And besides, that Night Fury still needs tending from his owner."

"There's no need to worry about that." Hiccup added on to the captain. "You can stay here and take care of our warriors whilst Magnus, Eira, and I will follow the scout back out through the woods as we head to our locations. Perhaps we can even find more of our allies near the lodge and farm."

The captain looked at Magnus with a shrug. "Your orders sir?" he asked.

"...Hiccup's strategy proves to be a good one." the Chieftain said back. "Hiccup, Eira, and I are the best scouters among this group as of now. We snuck onto Black Rock Isle and took out an elite force, and there is no difference in sneaking around in this woods. We will stealth through the forest while you stay here, captain. I'm leaving you in charge until I return."

The captain nodded in agreement. "Very good, Chief. I shall carry out your order and overlook the camp until you've returned."

Hiccup then too gave a nod as he added on with; "Oh, and please, take care of Toothless… I don't want anything bad happening to him."

"I will do my best, good master Haddock. I will ensure that no harm comes to your Dragon."

And to that, a plan was settled, and the targets were set. There was no more time to be wasted, and Hiccup was willing to go out there and salvage what he could for himself and the others. And, if possible, find any signs of his friends.

"Well then." the younger Viking said to Magnus and Eira. "We'd best get moving."

…

* * *

The three Vikings snuck through the bushes with haste as the scout went ahead. By then they had traveled a decent distance away from the campsite, and already they were nearing the Farm which was stationed by a lake.

It had a granary hut, a storehouse with grains and food, and a large pen with some horses and animals.

However, Hiccup knew that even if they tried to upright sneak in, obtaining a good amount of food supplies would still prove to be difficult. After all, they weren't the only ones there.

"Wait, stop!" Hiccup whispered as he, Magnus, and Eira made a halt in the bush they were in. They were now directly in front of the Farm, but there was also a guard on patrol.

Magnus grunted, staring at the hostile Viking. "If that guard catches us, he will blow the warning horn and signal any possible allies nearby. Our only chance of slipping by undetected is to take him out."

"Then we'll attack when his back is turned." Eira nodded, unsheathing both her daggers from her belt. "Just strike him where he is vulnerable, and then we will loot the place. What say you Hiccup?"

"Sounds like a plan… though I do wonder; why there is only one guard here out on patrol? If anything, there should be at least several guarding this area. They would not purposely leave an important site like a farm under-defended."

"The rest must be asleep." responded Magnus, slightly smirking. "Such fools they are. They just provided us an opening."

After a short moment passed however, the guard soon had his back turned upon passing by the three hidden and unnoticed Vikings, making another lap around the farm and it's pen. At that exact moment, the opportunity laid opened for them.

Hiccup immediately unsheathed his blade, and it lit. "Now!"

The three rushed out of the bushes towards the hostile guard who was too late to react.

Upon turning around to notice the three approaching him, he attempted to react in defense by stabbing his spear out, but he was already pinned down and quickly stabbed to death as Hiccup went for the chest, Eira for the shoulders, and Magnus for the throat.

Blood was soon on their hands, and although the guard was dealt with, that still didn't mean that they were safe. As Magnus told Hiccup before - the rest were still asleep somewhere.

The three then sheathed their weapons, looking around the area to get a better look and idea of what the Farm looked like. It was indeed large for one as well.

"Right," began Hiccup. "That's one sheep down from the pack; now to find and deal with the rest of the cattle."

"Must you really talk like that?" asked Eira.

The three chuckled in response from Hiccup's words as they began their way towards the granary hut.

But for Magnus, the whole situation made him more than just smirk, but it also brought back old memories from when they were back in the city of Kattegat, sneaking and taking down Ivar's guards from the inside-out. He grinned at the thought of it.

"Just like the old days back in Kattegat." he said softly. "Though those were bad times, the memories of sneaking around and killing Ivar's men were good ones."

Hiccup nodded his head just as they stopped and stood before the hut. "Aye... but for now, let's take care of the rest of the sleeping guards. I- have a feeling they're in here, most likely..."

The others stood at the Viking's side, inspecting the hut and the wooden grain-house connected to it which looked to be filled. From outside they could also hear loud snores emanating from the hut, indicating to the three that there was definitely others inside.

Hiccup once again nodded his head at the two, and in unison they re-drew their weapons from their sheaths before silently opening the door, and making their way inside.

The hut itself wasn't much as it was only a large one-roomed structure. However, there were four beds clustered up in the room, and the men sleeping were snoring loudly.

Thankfully, they wore nothing aside their white and brown-leathered sleeping tunics which made things easier for the three Vikings.

"Make silent steps." Hiccup whispered in a low tone. "We don't want to wake them and get our cover blown."

Magnus and Eira bowed their heads in a gesture as they softly lifted their feet and walked across the rugged floor. The wooden planks underneath made soft creaks as they walked - almost tip-toeing.

However, the snoring altogether blocked it out which made things easier, and after what seemed like forever in taking them to reach three of the sleeping guards, Hiccup, Magnus, and Eira were soon above their targets.

Hiccup then gave a nod as he rose his dimly lit sword up vertically with the blade facing down, along with Magnus and Eira mimicking his actions - and as their arms were raised above their heads, the three Vikings wasted no time and immediately brought down their blades in unison upon the three sleeping and unexpecting guards.

...

* * *

Hiccup, Magnus, and Eira stood outside with the fourth guard pinned to the ground on his knees. His hands were tied behind his back with ropes, and his face was dirty from being pushed and dragged around. Eira held a dagger to the hostile Viking's throat, and by then, the man was aware of what was going on.

Hiccup slightly grunted, with his voice lower in tone. "Ivar ordered you and your allies to chase us through the woods." he said angrily. "And he also ordered you to bring along my friends in chains and cages, along with their Dragons. You will tell me where they are!"

The man chuckled at Hiccup's demand. "Why would I tell you anything, runt of Kattegat!?" he responded, spitting on the ground. "That is what you are, after all. You always were a-"

Hiccup raised his fist, punching the man in the stomach before grabbing him by the collar of his tunic. "WHERE ON MIDGARD ARE THEY!?" he shouted in his face. "We know you have camps set up in these woods judging by your presence! Our scout found one abandoned. So either you tell me where my friends are, or I'll gut you with burning steel!"

They all stood there for a moment, silent, and waiting for the guard to say something, but the man just sat there without saying a word. He stared at Hiccup, eye-widened at the lad as he did not anticipate to get punched by the one that Ivar called a 'runt.' However, he still did not give in to the scrawny Viking.

Once more, he giggled. "King Ivar did say you were a pain in the arse… But you will never figure out where your friends are being held even if you travel East to the-"

"East!" Hiccup interrupted, now grasping his collar tighter. "So, that is where my friends are then? They are in the Eastern parts of these woods, but where are they based at!?"

The guard by that point had nothing to say as he had already given away too much information. Hiccup saw this in his eyes; he saw the slight tension and panic that began to rise in the man as a result of the young lad's actions thus far.

The Viking was the one who thought of Hiccup to be a runt right there and then, but now Hiccup saw that the true runt was his tied up enemy.

He sighed at the guard. "Very well, then. It seems that we have no further use of you. If you are not going to give us answers, then perhaps you can have a chat to Hel in Helheim while you are at it. This isn't an honorable death by combat after all."

The man instantly tilted his head up at him, tensed. "Wait, what are you-!?"

"Eira, finish him off."

The older Viking nodded as she swung her dagger diagonally. Then, as she neared the guard who tried break free of his bonds, he was met with a sudden slash across his throat as Eira sliced her blade towards his windpipe, causing the Völsung Viking to meet a slow demise.

Eira wiped herself off as she tipped the man over, looking back at Magnus and Hiccup. "Well, at least we have a clue of where they are."

"And so do I!" a familiar voice called out as the sound of a horse galloping approached the three Vikings from behind. Before them came the Warsung scout who had a look on his face that indicated that he found something more.

Magnus approached the scout slowly, arms crossed. "What did you find, warrior?" he asked.

"As you know, to the East lies the Hunting Lodge which obviously I had told you about. But as I did further scouting, I actually came upon a camp that was guarded by quite a decent sized force. If we had all our warriors, we could take them on."

"How many?" Hiccup asked him.

"At least nearly three dozen." the scout responded with assurance in his voice. "But if such a decent-sized camp needs such heavy fortifications on that scale, then perhaps some of your friends are in that camp. Plus, your friends have Dragons - so our enemy would need quite a few men to subdue one of them and keep them pinned down."

Magnus gave a sign of agreement. "Makes sense. If there are so many guards in one campsite, then perhaps your friends are being held there due to vital importance. We can't guarantee it will be all of them, but maybe there are even smaller camps spread throughout the Eastern woods. If we go for the smaller ones first, the bigger camp will fall easily, and then the Hunting Lodge should be no problem to handle at all."

Eira gazed her head to the East, putting her fists against her hips. "I too will say; if there is even a possibility, then perhaps they're also holding some of our men and allies from the other Tribes in there, and as well as in the other outposts that are spread out. I say that we should go East and check it out."

"Then it's settled." said Hiccup. "We will check out the location of their camp before moving onto the smaller outposts to gain reinforcements, and afterwards we can move onto the camp by force. Then, it's off to the Hunting Lodge where we can obtain further food supplies. Soon, we will be able to have enough food for everyone."

Magnus grinned at the thought. "Indeed… now then, it's best that three of us be off. I will leave the rest up to you, scout. I want you to find a cart and gather up all the food supplies and animals from around here that you can carry, as well as horses. Take them back to camp, and get our men well fed. _We_ will handle the rest from here."

"Will do, sir." the scout replied before shouting "Hyah!" to his horse.

As the Warsung Viking went off once more, the three of them looked at each other whilst Hiccup had his arms crossed, along with an arched brow and smirk.

"Well, then." the young lad said. "Shall we?"

…

* * *

The three Vikings made silent steps as they snuck through brushes and bushes at a hasty pace. By then, they had managed to come upon a dirt road that led into the direction they were heading towards - to the East.

However, there was not much to see even as they went along it from within the forest's terrain.

Hiccup sighed impatiently as he continued moving forward. "There hasn't been any sign of our friends yet." he said in a whisper. "Though I still wonder how much further it will take until we are there, because now I am actually worried for their safety. After all that has happened to everyone, I-"

"It will take some time for us, Hiccup." replied Eira from behind. "The scout found the camp and got there from atop a horse, after all. But we on the other hand are on foot... Unfortunately, there is no alternative of getting there faster or even knowing if we are close. We go on the road, and we risk getting caught."

And to that, Hiccup could not say more as she was right. But his impatience was still driving him further as a result of the thoughts of the recent events still in his mind, as well as his desperation which began filling him up even further. After all, Hiccup's lust for vengeance was never higher.

He considered that perhaps it was time to act once more like a Scandinavian, like he did back in Kattegat.

However, Magnus who followed from behind was one not to disregard Hiccup's tone and act. He himself could easily hear and sense the impatience and rush in Hiccup.

"Your impatience will be the end of you." the older Viking said in a low tone. "That is what my father said before he was killed by Olaf so many years ago. He told me that if you strive too much for something without being aware of your surroundings as well as the situation, then it could lead to heavy consequences."

Hiccup rose one of his brows in interest. "...And what is your point, Magnus? What are you saying?"

The Warsung Chief slightly chuckled in a hearty manner. "Ever heard of the phrase 'you can't win everything?' In my case, it is something that is meant in itself. My point being is that even if you try and go directly for Ivar, you can't expect for everything to go your way. Look at what happened to Ivar's invasion fleet when it came for us. It sunk to the bottom of Berk's harbor because the Boy-King underestimated our combined strength and unison. It was five hundred of us against three thousand of them with five Dragons aiding us. But for Ivar; why do you think that happened?"

"...He was impatient." the young Viking answered after a brief moment of silence. "He was fixed on killing me, and destroying the whole Archipelago for his own benefit, as well as sacking it of its riches... But he didn't know what we had to throw at him, so he assumed Berk as an easy target."

"Exactly." Magnus nodded with a grin. "Thus, that proves my point. If we are to destroy Ivar faster and more efficiently, we must plan out our attacks and strategies as we've always done ever since this war started, and we must do this without rush. I understand your lust for revenge, but what's more important right now is that we-"

"Wait!" interrupted Eira as she placed a finger over her lips, shushing Magnus and Hiccup. Her head turned into the other direction. "Listen… I think someone is coming."

In the distance, the sounds of boots and chainmail hitting the ground was heard as it got closer and closer on the road. From outside the bushes, they saw a small squad of seven Viking warriors running along the dirt path - with their grey but unfamiliar colors symbolizing that they were from minor Clans.

The group at that moment stopped as they halted for a breather. Though they could not see Hiccup, Magnus, or Eira, the three Vikings could definitely see and hear what they were doing.

"Right, then!" the captain began as he removed his helmet.

"As you all know, camp Jyornstad is not too far now, and we've been given specific orders to guard the prisoners until we can find the others and execute them altogether! ...However, there has also been a rumor going around from some of our men."

The Danes looked up at their captain as he made a brief moment of silence, curious of his words, until he finally continued speaking.

"Rumor has it that our enemies from one of the Tribes has stolen a horse and scouted out this area! It is possible that our location has been discovered, thus, we will need to furtherly fortify the camp! But if we reach the camp, and there are any signs of the outsiders roaming about, 'vegask en drepa!' Understood?" he asked, with his last words meaning 'slay and kill' in Norse.

"Sjá!" the warriors shouted in Norse which meant they understood, and once more, the group of seven continued on the move towards the camp - now running rather than jogging.

Magnus let out a "hmph" as he watched the warriors run along the path. "Come on, we have to catch up with them!" he said in a low tone.

He was now rushing ahead of Hiccup and Eira from within the bushes, less sneaky - and as he became quite a distance ahead of them, the two of them soon too began to run along with him - also less sneaky.

Hiccup by that point however had multiple thoughts filling up within him. Perhaps he was indeed closer to Astrid and his friends than he thought he was - but now it seemed that their lives were on the line...


	44. Sneaking and Striking

**This chapter I will say is one I somewhat really enjoyed making. I took some influence from my earlier chapters in the story which involved stealth, and I applied it here. There will be stealthiness, and there will be a little bit of fighting near the end of this chapter. Just a little bit. But hopefully you guys like it!**

 **Also, big thanks to KorrieChan, dabzzygirl, Cats and violin (Guest), and KaliAnn for the reviews! Glad you guys are liking the story so far!**

 **Right then. Let's jump directly back into it!**

* * *

As the chase continued, the group began to notice more signs of enemy civilization nearby from along the path. By then they were already in hostile territory, and the presence of their foe was quite obvious.

Even Hiccup noticed a small distant watchtower overseeing part of the woods, though the small outposts and camps around it were as well quite spread out.

However, that was not all that there was for them to see as eventually, their path came to a stop.

Hiccup, Magnus, and Eira halted yards away outside the main camp of which the Scandinavian Vikings operated from within the forested region. They knew getting in would not be so easy.

They watched as the patrol jogged into the camp with haste, and in their place, more guards blockaded the front entrance like a meat shield. But that was not all for them to see.

"Seems there are also guards on the lookout from atop the walls surrounding the camp." Eira said, gazing in the distance. "And though they're not that large or sturdy, climbing up them to get in would still be nearly impossible."

"Hmph, they truly are prepared." Magnus commented. "They have trenches around the walls with spikes in them. Any man who tries to climb up will just get impaled if they are pushed off… we need an alternate route."

Eira gestured in agreement, rubbing her chin. "So what's the best course of action...?"

"...Through the front entrance." Hiccup responded, catching both pairs of eyes.

"What?" they asked in unison, confused.

"Well I mean- it's the only way." the young Viking continued. "Their front entrance does not have a gate protecting it, and with just enough men we could easily breach it. We climb up the walls, and most likely we'll fall to our deaths or get shot down. We rush through the gate, and our chances of surviving and winning will be higher."

The two Vikings looked at Hiccup with uncertain expressions, unsure of what was going through his head, or what he was thinking. However, as Magnus glanced between him and the camp, he began nodding slowly at the shared thought.

"Maybe, he's right." he said, now reconsidered. "After all, what other way is there? There's no rear gate or side entrance, or anything as matter of fact. If it is to be a risky but possible attempt, then let it be so. We'll need to force our way in."

Eira sighed, shaking her head at the thought. It sounded maddening, but the lass knew, as Magnus said - there was no other way, so the only choice there was for her was to cope with it.

"Alright." replied Eira. "I am with you. But still, we need more warriors, and we don't know where each and every single camp in these woods are located. It could take hours to-"

"We don't necessarily need to waste our time scouting these woods." interrupted Hiccup, grabbing Eira's attention.

"...Did you plan this out while we followed that patrol?" she asked him.

"Indeed I did. Instead, we can follow along the other roads until we see signs of the enemy's presence. I _did_ see a watchtower as we snuck here after all, along with a few camps that were spread out from a small distance, so I doubt finding other outposts will be that difficult. Either way; that's that."

"If that's the case, then it's best that we get moving." said Magnus, with Eira bowing her head in agreement.

"Aye." she said. "...Let's start a little more south of here."

…

* * *

Time passed by as they laid low along the road heading south, and already signs of their enemy's presence soon came into view as Hiccup had depicted. Across from them was a dimly lit camp with several guards patrolling and guarding it. Even though they outnumbered them three to one, the Vikings knew that it would be no challenge.

"Nine guards with a few large tents and a fire-pit, nothing special." stated Magnus on the lookout. "But it seems they're surrounding something in the distance... it's a little difficult to see - even through this light fog."

"Then let's get a closer look." Hiccup said, motioning towards the other two to follow. "Come on."

The young lad stood straight to his feet from crouching, running across the path and towards the other side before Magnus and Eira proceeded to follow, then they kept their heads low, continuing to rush at a stealthy pace.

As they reached the outpost, they saw with more detail how the small camp was set up, and with better and clearer vision, they were able to see what the warriors were guarding.

In the center of the camp laid two cages with two manly figures held up inside of them. Though Hiccup couldn't make out who they were it at first, it took a few simple words from the captives for him to figure out who they were.

The captain of the squad of warriors stared at the prisoners, chuckling. "Still believing that your friends will come and save you, heathen?" he asked with a guttural tone. "Know that once we find them, we'll execute them all along with you."

A familiar voice spat back at the large Viking, grunting. "You underestimate my friends and allies, fool. Your threatening words are nothing compared to what they will do to you - to what Hiccup will do to you! And when they find us, they'll-"

"SILENCE!" the Viking snapped, reaching through the cage and grabbing _Snotlout_ by the collar of his ripped tunic. "Say another word, and I will easily snap your arm with both of my hands like a twig…"

"Really, _both_ of your hands?" questioned the familiar voice of Fishlegs. "For some as strong as you, I would've thought that someone like you would use only one-"

"And if _you_ say another word..." the captain growled, glancing at Fishlegs. "...I will do the same to you."

Hiccup remained there, eye widened at his two friends being held captive. He actually never thought that he would ever lay eyes upon them again, but seeing them battered and captured fueled him with the will to forcefully press onto the camp.

"They have Snotlout and Fishlegs." he said, gripping the hilt of his sheathed weapon. "Those bastards… I think I am going to slaughter each and every one of them until-"

Magnus' hand fell on Hiccup's hilt, halting his blade. "Stand down. If we try and rush in and free them, Snotlout and Fishlegs' lives will be forfeit. We have to plan this out strategically. We need a ploy of some sorts."

"Like what?" he asked him, with his voice lowering back down to a whisper. "We can't pick them out one by one like how Eira and I did back in Kattegat when you guys helped me escape. There's too many of them."

"...That may be so." Eira stated, grabbing both their attentions. "But if you just take a closer look at your surroundings, then the way forth may be clear. I myself have a plan."

The maiden motioned her head slightly East, making Magnus and Hiccup turn their heads into the direction she was staring at. In the distance, there stood a few wooden structures in which Hiccup was able to easily make out. Being unguarded, he knew it was no outpost.

"A village." he said, lowering his hand away from the hilt of his blade. "Didn't expect to find one out here... but what exactly do you plan to do?"

"I plan to cause a distraction." replied Eira, reaching her hand out. "But in order to do so, I'll need the assistance of your blade to make things more _flammable_."

Hiccup arched a brow at the young woman. "Hm?"

She winked at the young Viking with assurance. "Trust me on this. The Dragon's Blade will make things easier."

The young lad nodded his head at Eira, confident, as he lifted his right arm up and took the sheathe off from around his waist and placed it in her hand. She willingly grasped ahold of it and gave a nod to Hiccup.

"Unsheathe it to light it up, sheathe it to put it out; you know the basics. Good luck, Eira."

Eira gave a wink, understanding the basics as she lifted herself up from crouching and continued treading her way through the woods, sneaking towards the village with her head being kept low.

Magnus' eyes fell upon Hiccup, showing a sign of pride. "Seems you're beginning to think more. Good." he said, glancing back at the camp. "So then, what do we do from here? It's your call."

"We get information out of these fools." he replied, changing his gaze upon the men in the distance. "Let's get closer and see what they're doing. Follow me, and stay close."

The two Vikings crouched upwards from their position, making their way to circle around the camp towards the left. Sneakingly, they went around the base of the outpost, remaining in the bushes, until finally they stopped right next to a tent - though they still remained hidden in the brushes.

From a short distance, the captain and one of the guards spoke, discussing about something that was hard to make out at first, though Hiccup had his right ear turned to face them.

Magnus looked at him. "Can you make out what they're saying?"

He shook his head with a shrug, still processing the Vikings' words. "Sort of, but- hang on a moment…"

The young lad's words narrowed off, now more closely eavesdropping on the two unsuspecting Vikings in the distance. Still, it was all inaudible and distant sound to him, but then, the words slowly started to form.

The guard from afar placed his axe over his shoulder, talking with his commander. "It seems that much is going to our King's plan, captain." he said, referring to Ivar. "Word has been reached that we've successfully gained a couple thousand more in our numbers from the Saxon Barbarians and Jomsvikings. Taking on the outsiders will make their effort seem worthless."

"Hm… do not get too confident in knowing their ability." the commanding captain replied back. "The High King has ordered them to guard his capital of Kattegat along with the Völsung, should the others fail."

The Viking arched a brow, unsure of his commander's words. "But how could they fail? Our Great Army numbers in tens of thousands, and King Ivar sent all of us down upon their army."

The captain shook his head, unamused. "It is because of the skill and strength that our foes possess. The death trap which Ivar set up through the woods leading to Skyrsdok's overlook failed. And when four hundred of our numbers marched to the cliffs to climb up them where this 'Hiccup' stood his ground, _all_ of them were killed by him, his allies, and his Dragons."

"Hiccup? Why does this name keep spreading amongst our ranks? Everywhere I go, I hear this name. He must be of valuable importance."

The captain lightly chuckled. "This _Hiccup_ is the one who leads this army of Tribes from the 'Barbaric' Archipelago. I am told that he is a young lad like our King, but younger. Our warriors are also saying that he is named the 'Dragon Conqueror.' Bah, what kind of title is that? It's not like he's the only one who knows how to use Dragons at his side. At least, not yet…"

The man's voice lowered bit, with his hands dropping to his sides. "Ivar has a plan that will turn the tide further in our favor. Hiccup Haddock may think he is the only one who can control Dragons. But when the King returns to Scandinavia, he will find that-"

Suddenly, a loud boom from that of an explosion interrupted the captain as it echoed all around and caught every warrior's attention in the camp. From afar, a large fire sparked and set aflame two structures in the nearby village as black smoke rose into the air, causing the men to be on an alert.

"There's fire over there! Something's happened!" one of them called out.

The captain gritted his teeth with his brows lowered, unsheathing his sword and shield as his eyes fell upon his warriors. "Our enemies are among us! They are not far from here! Everyone, to arms!"

All nine Vikings stood to their feet, grabbing their weapons and armor to prepare for anything that could happen. However, the captain motioned for four of his men to stay in the camp, leaving the outpost with just half of the other warriors to inspect the village.

Magnus and Hiccup on the other hand grinned at the sight of Eira's successful attempt in lighting up the village, but before they even realized it, the maiden jumped down next to them without warning, nearly jumpscaring the both of them.

Hiccup gasped, placing a hand on his chest. "You nearly got me on edge." he said, surprised. "I was about to think that our enemy found us. But it seems that you did things faster than I expected."

"Practice makes perfect when you work effortly with speed." she said back, sticking her hand out with Hiccup's sheathed weapon laying in it. "But I still believe that this is yours."

The younger Viking gave a nod, grabbing ahold of the sword as he wrapped the sheath and blade back around his waist and belt. However, his sight of the camp would not wander off as now he laid his eyes directly onto it.

"Ready for a small skirmish?" he asked the two Vikings.

"Let's get it over with." said Magnus. "I could use a little bit of fighting right about now."

Eira responded only with an eager nod as their heads spun to face the camp, and in unison, the three unsheathed their weapons with Hiccup's lighting up in flames, but it immediately caught the attention of one of the guards.

"Who's there!?" one of them called out, unsheathing his axe and laying eyes on the bush from which Hiccup, Magnus and Eira hid in.

However. All that came back to him was one simple word in a faint but low tone.

"Me."

Instantly, Hiccup's weapon went flying out of the brush and towards the Viking, spinning and hurling until it reached the man's chest and impaled him with a direct hit. As a result, the man fell to the ground on his knees, before falling to his side, feeling an immense burn take him over as he slowly lost his life.

However, even though he was dead, the three other Vikings were now aware of what was happening.

"Assassins!" one of the them called out as their weapons were drawn, and from the bushes, Magnus and Eira charged out with their weapons in front, aiming for the warriors on the flanks while Hiccup went for the centered Viking.

As he ran out, he pulled his sword directly from the man's corpse, lifting it with both his hands to his level as he entered combat with the Viking.

But although Hiccup was a great warrior like Stoick, he could not fight to his full ability after what happened in the previous battle. A majority of his energy was drained, so he decided to focus on efforted and balanced attacks.

Beginning the fight with his foe in front of him, Hiccup found that the warrior depended on using his shield for defense and offense, as well as strike with his axe using quick attacks. Even for a weapon being somewhat small, it was still very deadly.

The man started out with a flurry of attacks, keeping his shield raised from the side as he attempted to hack at Hiccup towards his upper body with his axe. Though the attacks were swift, Hiccup was still able to keep up by using his sword to counteract the enemy's strikes. However, just because the opponent had the advantage against his upper defense didn't mean that his lower defense was the same.

Hiccup noticed that despite the man's attacks, he left his legs and lower waist exposed to him, giving him the key to inflict his attacks back on him. However, in his state of concentration, he felt metal scrape down against his face as the warrior's axe scratched Hiccup on his left temple near his left eye. To this, the Viking let out all he could on the warrior.

With a great cleave using both of his hand, Hiccup brought the Dragon's Blade down and across on the man's legs, slicing the front of his kneecaps opened and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. As a result, the Viking was left fully exposed to Hiccup as he found himself facing the fiery blade, all before it went through and across his neck, decapitating him.

As Hiccup beheaded him, he let out a loud scream which echoed out in the area, and to Magnus, it sounded like the mix of a Human and Dragon. But he knew that his voice was just becoming guttural throughout all the fights they had gone through so far.

The young lad then looked around, still feeling blood from his scratch go down his face, only to see that Magnus and Eira were quick to finish off their opponents as they impaled them with their blades through their chest and neck. With that, the camp was now secured.

"Is everyone alright?" Hiccup called out, earning nods from the two older Vikings. But even then, the center of Hiccup's attention was quickly turned towards his two friends in captivity.

"Hiccup, you're alive!" Fishlegs said, happily and relieved.

From the cages, he and Snotlout watched everything that went down, and they cheered for Hiccup after seeing him and the others cut down their captors. Now, it was time to free them.

Hiccup approached the cages, and one by one, he slashed his sword at the iron locks, breaking them until both cages sprung opened with the two Vikings now freed to wander out. For the most part, they were in one piece despite their tattered clothes.

"We're glad you came as soon as you could, Hiccup." Snotlout said as he walked over to one of the corpses and took their weapon. "When we were captured, we feared the worst that we were never going to see the light of day again. But it seems even _I_ have underestimated your ability. You have my thanks."

Hiccup nodded, arms crossed. "There will be plenty of time to talk later. For now, we need to learn where the others are so we can free them, then we're going to assault the main camp. But Snotlout… where's Astrid?"

"She and the others are out there, held up in other camps and outposts somewhere. Most likely they'll be more heavily guarded compared to this small camp, but even with us alone, we can't assault it… however, there is a solution."

Snotlout made a gesture to the tents that stood behind them, causing for Magnus and Eira to walk over to them and inspect inside of them. What they found however somewhat surprised them, but also gave them a higher sense of hope.

Eira stared at a group of captives who had their mouths gagged and their hands bound behind their backs. Their colors were familiar, and right away she knew who they were.

"...There are Warsung captives in here!" she called out as she unsheathed her dagger and began cutting at the ropes that bound them. "As well as Hooligan warriors!"

Hiccup's eyes widened in slight surprise, not expecting that they'd encounter Hooligan Tribesmen held up in the camp. Even their numbers alone were now more than a dozen, and to this, he knew that they were about to have the better of this mission.

As the remaining warriors were cut from their bonds, their attention fell onto Hiccup who stood in the center of the camp with his blade still drawn, and he motioned over to the nearby weapon rack. "Grab whatever weapons there are. If you can fight, then follow me, and we will rescue our allies together."

"Then we have your back, Hiccup." one of the warriors said, saluting the Viking as he received a nod back from the scrawny Viking. The warriors then rushed over to the weapon rack which stood by the fire, and grabbed whatever they could.

"...So." Snotlout said with a small smirk. "Mind telling us your plan? You seem to know what you're doing after all."

"We'll discuss about it after we get to safety." he replied to him, sheathing his weapon. "But for now, follow me. We're going to find and free the Twins, and then we'll search for Astrid and Heather… I just hope to the Gods that they're still alive."


	45. An Annoying Rescue

**Alrighty! So, just before beginning, I'd like to warn you guys that there is a cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. However, it's up to you to give your opinion on whether it is a big or small one to you. I personally view it as a small cliffhanger, but once more, it is your opinion you to decide on that as it is mine.**

 **Also, thanks to KorrieChan, JuatANormalHTTYDFan, and dabzzygirl for the reviews last chapter! Once again, I am glad that you guys still enjoy reading this story - and that goes by extent to those who are still following! So thank you!**

 **Now then, on with the chapter, shall we?**

* * *

"Let me get this straight:" began Snotlout. "Toothless lost a _fin_ from one of those Devastators, and now he can no longer fly?"

Hiccup nodded as he ran along the road along with the group, no longer sneaking. "His injuries were a bit severe when I woke up and saw him with scratches and gouges all along his body. But I assured myself that when the time comes, Ivar will get what is coming for him."

"And it'd be much easier to give him that if we had our Dragons." Fishlegs commented as he ran along. "Ivar chained them all up when we were captured and caged, though it seemed he had other plans at the time because instead of chasing after you, we saw him turn around and walk away - alone."

"That's odd…" said Hiccup, raising a brow. "But regardless of that, do you know where all of the Dragons are? Hookfang, Stormfly, Meatlug, and even Barf and Belch?"

"We overheard the captain telling us that when _you_ guys were found, we'd all be brought to the main camp where our Dragons were being held… Jyornstad I believe it was called?"

"Jyornstad." said Magnus. "I've overheard that name before. That's the camp we came across after we sent our scout out to inspect the area. When we came upon it, we saw how fortified it was. It had trenches and spikes surrounding the walls, along with dozens of guards guarding it. No more than three dozen."

Eira scoffed. "Well I have a feeling that because they now know that we're here, they're going to furtherly fortify that camp - and heavily. Their numbers will most likely be reinforced."

"Then we'll have to reinforce our numbers first." replied Hiccup, glancing around. "The more we get, then the better we can take on-"

Suddenly, a loud voice from afar interrupted Hiccup's words. At first, it sounded like someone was shouting angrily to the sky as if they had had too much ale. But then, he quickly picked up on the fact that it sounded like singing. Terrible, awful singing.

They all stopped, looking around for the source of the sound - though Snotlout himself cringed at the noise.

"What is that awful sound?" asked Fishlegs, covering his ears. "It sounds as if someone is trying so hard to sing a lament… well, actually, it sounds like two people trying to sing a Viking shanty."

"...Two people you say?" Hiccup asked, spinning his head to Fishlegs. "Well if that's the case, then I may have an idea of who is singing that. All I can say is that their voices sound familiar to me."

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Hiccup, what are you trying to say-?" he said, before quickly interrupting himself, because as he listened more closely despite the vocals sounding cringey, he quickly began to pick up the familiar voices of who he could only identify as…

"Are those the voices of the Twins? Gods, please tell me that this is a dream." he said, sighing with a frowned face.

"As much as how I would wish for it to be a dream Snotlout - it is not." responded Hiccup, turning his gaze to the woods. "But still, if Ruffnut and Tuffnut are closer than we think they are, then where is the camp?"

Fortunately though, the voice of a Hooligan warrior spoke up to catch the group's attention as he pointed in the distance towards the Northeast. "Over there, sir!"

Hiccup spun himself into the direction the man motioned towards, and from afar he saw a few dimly lit lights through the fog along with a couple of tents, as well as more cages hanging from the ground with two of them moving violently.

"Well, seems like luck is on our side. Now, let's take this slowly and approach the camp with stealth. We don't know how many men are guarding that camp, and one wrong move could cost the Twins' lives."

"Agreed." replied Magnus. "Let's get moving- slowly."

The squad followed upon Hiccup's and Magnus' gestures, with the Hooligans and Warsung splitting up to follow their leaders as they snuck through the woody terrain, remaining in the bushes and behind the trees. As they got closer though, the voices of Ruff and Tuff became more clear, and they could make out what they were singing.

Ruffnut sung first with awful, unamusing, and horrid vocals.

" _Three yaks going over the hill,"_

" _Tonight they're gonna be my fill."_

" _Two Dragons are flying in the sky,"_

" _Oh my Gods, they fly so high!"_

" _This song is great I wanna sing more,"_

" _Or else I will become very booooored!"_

After that, Tuffnut began to sing, also with a terrible equal talent.

" _Oh ho ho sailing over the sea,"_

" _With an axe in one hand and a sword in my other!"_

" _My stupid enemies will bleed and flee before me,"_

" _And I'll make myself proud like my father!"_

"Uh, helloooo! The words 'other' and 'father' don't rhyme, you idiot!" Ruffnut scolded, calling out to her brother from the other cage. "I can do better than that!"

"Oh really?" asked Tuffnut, chuckling. "I'd like to see you try!"

The lass laughed before inhaling a deep breath of air. And just like that, she began singing louder than before.

" _OH HO HO, THIS SONG IS GREAAAAT,"_

" _I CAN SING BETTER THAN THE BRAVE!"_

" _HI-HO WITH ME PINT AND A MUG OF ALE,"_

" _I CAN SING BETTER THAN MY BROTHER WHO ALWAYS FAILS!"_

Tuffnut placed his head against the bars of the cage in anger, facing Ruffnut. _"NO YOU CAN'T!"_ he sang.

" _YES I CAN!"_ she sung back.

" _NO YOU CAN'T!"_

" _YES I CAN!"_

" _NO YOU CAN'T!"_

" _YES I CAN!"_

" _NO YOU CAAAN'T!"_

" _YEEESS I CAAAAAAAAAAN-!"_

"SHUT UP YOU DAMNED HOOLIGANS!" the camp's captain roared as he slammed his hammer loudly against a nearby cage. "By the Gods your SINGING IS DESPISING! DO YOU EVER LEARN TO BE QUIET!?"

"Hooligans?" asked Tuffnut. "Well I mean- yeah, that's pretty much what we are - the Hairy Hooligans. What about yourself? Are you a farmer? Do you chop wood? Do you like to go fishing? Are you a fan of Stack the Yak? ...Oh! How about axe throwing, or even shooting the apple from atop someone's head. I heard that if you shoot the apple whilst using a bow instead of a crossbow, you're-"

The captain's fist shook as he yelled out in rage; "SILENCE!" He was now staring up at both of the Twins with a face as red as burning flames. "Another word from either of you, and I'll gut you both! Got it!?"

The two pestering Vikings nodded at the Scandinavian, while from a small distance, Hiccup watched everything that unfolded in front of him as he hid in the bush, and a palm landed on his forehead. "Do those two ever learn to remain silent?"

"They wouldn't learn even in a hundred years." commented Fishlegs, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "Either way, we need to figure out how to get them out of there… draw the guards away, maybe. You know?"

Hiccup sighed. "Well, I see nothing that can grab their attention like a village to set aflame. That is, unless…"

Snotlout's attention fell upon him, curious. "Unless what? Do you have an idea in mind?"

Though it took a moment for him and Fishlegs to figure it out, they both realized that Hiccup was staring down at a single rock that laid next to him. Immediately, a wide smirk appeared on the lad's face as he picked up from off the ground, glancing towards an opening in the distance.

"This is going to be fun." he said to himself.

The scrawny Viking closed one of his eyes as he proceeded to aim in the direction he wanted to throw it, and as soon as he had his target, he threw the rock somewhat far into the distance as it went right for a cluster of shrubs. This in return caught the attention of several guards.

"What was that?" one of them asked as they pointed their spear out.

"I think it came from over there, in those bushes!" another pointed out as they all begun moving slowly with their weapons now unsheathed. By that point, they were filled with uncertainty.

Another spoke up, pointing their axe out. "We may be being eavesdropped. Let's be careful not to scare off whatever rat is watching us…"

Hiccup nodded in approval as their backs were turned, and his eyes soon met Magnus who stared at him with attention. With complex hand movements, Hiccup tried his best to tell the older Viking to make a particular move against the cautious Vikings with their backs turned.

"What's he doing?" Snotlout asked in a low whisper.

"I don't know." replied Fishlegs, rubbing his chin. "I think he is trying to signal the Warsung to make a-"

Suddenly from the bushes where Magnus and Eira resided, the Warsung sprang forth with bows quietly unsheathed and aimed towards the wandering enemy Vikings in the distance. At that point, Hiccup had his hand raised and was ready to curl it into a fist to give the order to fire…

...Were it not for the Twins however who were able to spot the lad from their point of view, seeing as they hung in their cages at a height taller than their captors.

"Hey, ain't that Hiccup?" asked Tuffnut.

Ruffnut looked at her brother, and nodded with chuckle. "Looks to be so! Hey Hiccup, up here! Quick, get us out!"

All eyes; from the Hooligans, Warsung, and Scandinavian Vikings, fell upon Hiccup's direction as they all looked at him with mixed expressions. His allies were embarrassed as they had been caught, and their enemy was shocked as they realized that they were being eavesdropped.

Hiccup facepalmed himself, letting forth a sigh as he stood to his feet and unsheathed the Dragon's Blade - calling forth to Magnus and his men.

"NOW!"

The Warsung immediately fired upon both their Chieftain's and Hiccup's commands, hitting the wandering Vikings directly in their backs which caused them to fall onto their sides and chests, groaning in pain and bleeding out.

"SPIES!" the captain called out. "We've been discovered, men! LET'S TAKE THEM ON!"

"BERKIANS, ADVANCE!" shouted Snotlout as the Hooligan warriors sprung from hiding and ran at the enemy.

They clashed with the Scandinavians in a frontal attack, with Fishlegs and Snotlout in the center of it all, and soon, Magnus too would engage in the fighting as he charged out from the bushes in a flanking attack, going for the side of the enemy and surprising them once more.

Now, there was fighting going on everywhere in the camp.

As Hiccup entered the fight himself however, he was met with the captain who had two bodyguards at his sides. The young lad knew that although they were outnumbered nearly three to one, they were not outmatched in that instance. Even Magnus alone was a great warrior who was able to pick out his foes one at a time and kill them clean without much trouble.

The man gritted his teeth at Hiccup, tightening the grip around his hammer.

"Look who it is!" he said. "If it isn't the Runt from Kattegat! King Ivar's slave! You know your departure from Kattegat was the reason this whole conflict started. The tides of war churned once more, and we have you to thank for that! Our King thanks you for that!"

Hiccup shook his head. "I am not a slave!" he said, pointing his mighty sword out towards the Viking and spinning it in a taunting manner.

"Ivar started this war on his own accord, spreading his Norse Paganism amongst those who aren't even Scandinavian and giving the belief that the lands beyond his own were opened for your taking. You call yourselves a Viking Army, with Germanics and Slavs in your ranks!? You are not a Viking!"

"GAH! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE MEANING OF 'VIKING,' YOU RUNT!" the captain bellowed as his voice became guttural. "Vikings are travellers, and RAIDERS! We explore, raid, and kill because that is what we are! ...That, is what Odin wanted us to be!"

With an animal-like exhale, he then pointed his large hammer out, and with a low toned voice - ordered to both of his bodyguards; "Kill him!"

The two men rushed at Hiccup with fierce speed - and strength showing physically, but even with that alone, the two did not know what Hiccup could do. They did not know the scrawny lad well, whose skill and strength deep inside - out matched theirs.

With a great horizontal cleave, Hiccup struck with the Dragon's Blade towards the two men who closed in on him, and as he held his blade with both hands and spun in a circle, he felt two bodies of flesh strike at his weapon.

Quick to recover from his spinning cleave, the lad looked in front of him and saw that he made two deep slices across the upper stomachs of the two bodyguards. Although they were not split opened, they were definitely bleeding out quickly, and as well as greatly injured.

Almost instantly, their weapons fell out of their hands as they fell to the ground in pain, groaning loudly and looking off into a different and separate direction - before eventually, becoming deceased due to their blood loss.

The captain stared in shock as his two best warriors were cut down. He gripped his large hammer with both hands as if it were an axe, and at that moment he was prepared to stomp Hiccup to the side. "You will PAY WITH YOUR LIFE, PUP!"

He roared at the lad, sprinting towards him with great speed before he started swinging his hammer at the young Viking. Hiccup responded with only dodging however, for if he attempted to parry or block with his weapon against the hammer, then his blade would be crushed and bent, and he would risk his life.

But even though the captain struck fast with such a heavy weapon, it didn't mean his attacks were entirely precise.

The larger Viking mostly swung his hammer in circles, cleaves, and arcs at the scrawnier eighteen year old Berkian, and even though very few of his hits found his mark, the inaccuracy of his swings made the blows weaker. To this, Hiccup knew what to do.

Knowing that the man required to use much of his strength to swing his weapon, Hiccup decided to wear him down by dodging each of his attacks and running behind or to the side of him so that he would have to turn for his attacks.

This in turn caused him to become dizzy and, eventually, go off balance of his offensive moves.

Soon enough, Hiccup's efforts on slowing down and tiring the armored captain would pay off well as the man fell to his knees with _heavy_ exhaustion. By that point, sweat dripped down his face like rain, and he no longer had his hammer gripped in his hands.

Hiccup smirked with approval, crouching down to the Viking's level with his sword still lit and blazing close to his face. His brows lowered as he spoke in a low tone to the weary captain.

"Runt you say?" he asked, replying with a quick stab through the upper chest with his fiery blade. "I hope you like the way you die, because that is how you will remain in your afterlife. So tell me; who is the runt now?"

The captain could not reply with words from the burning sensation of fire in his chest, and as Hiccup pulled the Dragon's Blade out from the large man's chest, he fell over with a hoarse groan as the life from his body slowly left him...

Hiccup panted and gasped, bowing his head in a taunting manner which meant 'good riddance,' and as he looked around, he saw already that the battle was over with every single Scandinavian Viking warrior laying down on the ground, lifeless.

Once again, a simple camp, this time heavier with number, fell to their might - and to this, the eighteen year old lad grew confident that the mission was tipping evermore in their favor.

But the moment of victory would quickly be ruined as two familiar voices called out.

"Uh, helloooo?" called out Ruffnut as she waved her hand through the cage. "We could use a little help here!"

"Yeah, and no offense H, but you nearly got us killed there." replied Tuffnut, nodding his head with a slight frown.

"I, nearly risking _your_ lives?" Hiccup asked as he sheathed his sword, looking up at the Twins. "You two blew our cover and nearly costed us the entire mission! Were it not for our strategy, you two would've likely been dead along us! Think about what would happen to Astrid and Heather…"

"They would find a way out…?" asked Tuffnut. "I mean, they're skilled and strong. And they-"

"They would have been executed." called out Fishlegs, joining in. "Either that, or they would slowly rot in their cages, waiting for us to rescue them. Do you even know how bad it feels to rot? To feel your own flesh and blood dry away like dying leaves?"

"...Noooo?" the Twins replied, almost seeming careless about Hiccup's and Fishlegs' lectures, and more caring about getting out of their cages. To this, Hiccup sighed and shook his head, before motioning an order to one of the Hooligan warriors.

"Lower those cages and get those two out of there." he said with a serious tone. "And make sure that they don't leave our sight. Make sure to also free the rest of the prisoners from there."

"Aye sir!" he said, before he started calling over others. "Come on men, let's get these cages lowered!"

From there, Hiccup stood and observed the surprising dozens of captives being freed from their bonds - from the tents and cages, all consisting of warriors from Berk, the Warsung, and more surprisingly, those from another Tribe.

Snotlout and Magnus approached Hiccup with their faces somewhat charred and dirty from battle, but their expressions told the young man that they had something important to tell him.

"Hiccup." Magnus began, stopping a couple of yards from him. "We've successfully freed all of the prisoners, but some of these men aren't of the Hooligan or Warsung Tribes."

He arched a brow at the Chief. "What colors do they carry, then? Whose men are they?"

"They're the Berserkers" answered Snotlout. "Dagur's men. They say that they don't know where their Chieftain went after the battle, only that they know that Dagur is missing in action somewhere out there. But if that's the case, then searching for him would help increase our strength once he is found."

"That as well applies for all of the other Tribes." Magnus added on. "But for right now, all that's important is rescuing the rest of the group, finding a place that we can call our own, and then feasting on whatever we can salvage. Right now, our numbers have increased from just a dozen to over forty five."

"If that's indeed so, then we must search for the last camp where Astrid and Heather are being held up." Hiccup said, turning to face the road leading out.

"With our numbers, taking on the last one before moving on to Jyornstad should be no problem. About one more squad of warriors should give us the manpower to seize the base camp. But until then, we must keep our eyes opened, and hope that they are both still alive."

Magnus and Snotlout expressed in agreement, nodding their heads at Hiccup as the Warsung Chieftain asked; "And what do you want to us to do about _this_ camp?"

"...Burn it."

…

* * *

They were back marching on a Southeastern road leading to the Eastern part of the region, hoping that they'd be able to find Astrid and Heather, but no longer were they sneaking around as if they were on a scouting mission. Now, they were slowly anchoring themselves back into the war, once more battle ready for more conflict to come.

However, stealthiness couldn't be Hiccup's choice regardless, seeing that now the Twins were with them.

"Why do you think the captain hated our singing?" asked Tuffnut. "Did we not sing loud enough for him?"

"Nah." replied Ruffnut. "Maybe it was just because the song wasn't Viking enough. You know, we didn't put in enough effort into it!"

"Ooh, so like, get more yaks involved?" he asked her.

"Mhmm." she replied.

"Boars and wolves?"

"Yup!" nodded Ruffnut with a smirk. "And if you put all of those things together, you get a true Viking shanty!"

"Or you get a muck up that doesn't sound like singing, but rather moaning." briefly responded Magnus, causing nearly the entire group to laugh out loud in splurts and chuckles which made the Twins become viewed embarrassingly.

"Some Chieftain he is." Tuffnut muffled immaturely, but not so much under his breath as he was easily heard from those around him.

"More than you can imagine, Tuff. At least he knows how to play a lute." Hiccup replied, earning quite an amount of "oohs" throughout the ranks, and from that, Tuffnut remained silent the rest of the way they marched - along with Ruffnut.

Snotlout sighed in relief, grinning at Hiccup. "Finally, some peace and quiet. I can _now concentrate_ on the mission"

"Tell me about it." Eira said from behind, catching both the attention of Fishlegs and Snotlout. "Honestly, I don't know how you lads are able to handle these two. They're noisier than a tavern from Kattegat."

"Well, what do you expect? It's the the Twins. That is all they know aside fighting." replied Fishlegs, earning a reasonable nod from Eira who understood what the Ingerman meant.

For the time they continued the march, the group remained quiet without peeping a single word. Every man and woman, warrior and maiden, stayed on alert with their hands on the hilts of their sheathed weapons, expecting some sort of attack to happen out of nowhere.

However, it wasn't until a voice rose up that the warband had to halt upon reaction. Something laid ahead of them on the road.

"Look, over there!" a Berkian warrior shouted.

Up ahead on the road, more than several yards away, many dozens of Scandinavian Vikings stood with their weapons and shields out, raised towards Hiccup and the group.

At first, the warriors of the Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung were about to advance on them, but Hiccup quickly shouted "hold!" which caused them to halt and hold their positions. The scrawny Viking was curious to see what the Scandinavian Vikings were trying do, and most of all, figure out how exactly they found him.

From the front of the enemy ranks, a man stood with a scrawny figure grasped in his hands, along with another grasped in the hands of another warrior. Most likely it was the commander of the region, and by extent, the overseer of Jyornstad.

It wouldn't take long for Hiccup to realize however that the two figures in the commander's possession were not just any ordinary captives or prisoners. One of them was a black haired girl who had a ponytail running down her left shoulder along with ripped brown and grey leather armor. He knew there and then that it was Heather.

But the other one, the one who the commander had in his hands was a blonde Viking, a shield maiden… Hiccup's lady and lover. Her blue tunic was charred and somewhat tattered, and her face was dirty for the time she was a captive.

He realized who the young lady was.

Astrid stood before him, grasped in the hands of the commander with a dagger held to her throat.

The commander grinned at Hiccup with an evil expression. "Looking for someone?" he asked in a taunting tone


	46. Another Step Closer

**Sorry about the delay! I was supposed to post this chapter two days ago, but something came up. However, now that it is done, I hope you guys will like it!**

 **Also, just for a side note: the small fight in this chapter won't really be much of a fight as it ends before it really begins, though I did want to ease down a bit on the conflict in the last few chapters. However, I promise you, next chapter will have a battle!**

 **And of course, I'd like to give a quick thanks and shout-out to KorrieChan, dabzzygirl, and Trygve11 for the reviews last chapter! Glad you guys are enjoying this story thus far!**

 **Now, no more words from me. Let's begin!**

* * *

"Astrid!" Hiccup called out.

As he attempted to run towards Astrid, the commander suddenly increased the pressure of his dagger against her neck. Clearly it was a threat that he would slit her throat.

"Let her go!" growled Hiccup, clenching his hands into fists.

"Or what?" grinned the commander wickedly. "Who are you to make demands out of me?"

"I am Hiccup Haddock!" he began. "Leader of the army of the Archipelago, and the Dragon Riders. I demand that you lower your arms, and surrender to us before I cut you through!"

The commander splurted with laughter, chuckling at the scrawny young man. "You. A leader!? You look more like a slave to me than anything!"

The men all around him began laughing wildly from their leader's words, but this in turn just furtherly fueled the fire that was burning in Hiccup's stomach, and at that moment he just wanted to rush forward and beat the ever living Helheim out of him.

"As for surrendering?" the commander continued. "I think it is you that should surrender to us, seeing that you are outnumbered and outmatched. I mean, you have little opposition against us! You and your scrawny weakness! What chance do you have of taking us on!? We could kill these two witches in an instant, just like _these_ fools we have with us."

From behind the lines, twelve more prisoners were shoved to the front of the enemy ranks, grasped by tight and strong hands from the Scandinavian Vikings. And to this, Hiccup's hatred grew deeper inside.

"I am now giving you _one_ choice." continued Hiccup. "You will release my friends and allies, and bring them back to me - unharmed, and untouched, and then you will abandon your main base of operations in the region, and I will let you run back to Kattegat. Refuse, and you will all be slaughtered..."

The commander instantly splurted in laughter, cackling at Hiccup with his men joining in - but the young Viking did not see this as a serious reaction, rather as if they were taking it as a joke.

And in this case, they were.

"Me?" he asked. "Free your puny kind? Haven't you ever wondered why you and your army lost at Skyrsdok shore? It is because you and your men showed nothing but weakness and cowardice. When the full might of our legions washed upon your pitiful army, you were left scattered and broken, and your warriors ran like scared children!"

A short moment of silence followed as whispered chatters spread among the ranks of both sides, but the commander still continued to talk after the quiet moment.

"But to answer your question, Berkian. The answer is never. I will never set free your wretched people!" he spat, lowering his brows as the grip on his knife increased. "Your warriors will always be weak compared to ours! Us Scandinavians will always be true to the word 'Viking', and no power in this world will be able to stop us!"

The man then followed with an evil grin. "...Not even you. Though I do wonder, how will this pretty one look once I carve a scar on her face that she will never forget? Unless, you'd like to tell me where to make the first mark?"

Heather retaliated, shaking her head. "Don't say a word, Hiccup - or else he'll kill Astr-!"

"Be quiet you damned bitch!" spat the bodyguard, shaking the lass. "Another word, and I might as well do the same to you!"

"Patience, warrior." the commander gestured to the Viking. "This is for the Haddock-Boy to decide… Well, what is it going to be?"

The young man didn't say anything. Instead, the form of his hand immediately turned into a fist, and his grip quickly tightened out of anger and hate. He then instantly unsheathed his sword, and lit it aflame.

"Oof, he is getting mad." said Tuffnut, eyes widened.

"You touch her, and I will cut you apart limb from limb." he exhaled, now at his boiling point. "I won't let you make a single mark on her."

The commander chuckled, grinning widely at Hiccup. "You're leaving it up to me, then? ...Very well. Let's begin."

The Viking lifted his dagger up, ready to gouge through wherever it would land on Astrid, and at that instant, Hiccup tossed aside his patience and he immediately ran forward with full speed. But around him, it felt as if time had slowed down, and on both of his flanks - the Hairy Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung followed at his side, knowing that there was no other option.

...However, something happened that neither side saw coming.

From the woods, a loud, and familiar screech deafened and ceased all sounds as a purple flash of fire came hurling towards the commander and his men. The bolt of flames nearly hit the commander's hand, but the force in its speed caused him to drop his dagger, and the impact caused a burst of fire that made several warriors to go hurling back aflame.

Hiccup stopped, spinning to look to his left, and before him, Toothless stood there angrily, giving off the look of a wild and intimidating animal as he roared loudly, and from the bushes, the fifteen Warsung warriors who stayed behind to recover rushed out with their weapons drawn, making panic spread amongst the enemy.

"DRAGON!" one of the warriors shouted before he, and a few others were blasted down to the ground in flames by Toothless.

"That was fast!" Hiccup said to his shock.

The flanking force soon joined battle, and almost immediately, the Vikings slowly began running away in fear from the black beast and their ambushing opponents, causing them to drop the warriors they had captive from their grasp, down to the ground.

However, even Hiccup and the main force would also join the fight - and as a result, the commander became left with no other option. So he shouted out an order, ending the fight before it was even begun.

"RETREAT!"

The Viking warriors reacted on command altogether, running in the opposite direction which led towards Jyornstad, and all the while, the commander stood there, glaring at Hiccup with lowered brows before he and his bodyguard dropped Astrid and Heather. He knew that bringing the two along would just cause the Dragon to follow him, which would mean his death.

The commander snarled. "When next we meet, I will cut off your head, Haddock!" he bellowed.

Then, they ran off.

Hiccup noticed this, and attempted to pursue, but was cut off by two Vikings who attempted to double team him. Although they looked stronger and more fierce, they had still unknowingly underestimated the young Viking.

"You guys wanna see a trick?" asked Hiccup before giving off a sharp whistle.

From a few yards off, Toothless turned his head and growled at the two Scandinavians who were next to the scrawny Viking, causing them to be drop their weapons and put their hands up in surrender.

But Toothless wouldn't abide captives.

He instantly struck out at the two Vikings, firing a plasma blast towards them and setting them aflame. They screamed upon the flaming impact, feeling agonizing pain all over their bodies from the Dragon's fire.

But Hiccup wouldn't stop there. He would follow up with a quick but rough slice towards the two burning Viking with his sword, slashing their windpipes and making a quick end to them as they fell to the ground, meeting their slow but coming deaths.

Satisfied with his work, he unsheathed his sword as he looked up towards the fleeing Scandinavians. At first, he had the urge to pursue them for what they did to Astrid and the others. But then, the immediate thought of the shield maiden herself fell upon his mind.

"Astrid." he said to himself, looking in the direction where she laid as he rushed towards her, dropping to his knees as he held her in his arms.

Though her eyes were closed and her face was dirty, he knew well for certain that she was alive. Especially since he felt a light, weak breath hit the side of his cheek...

…

* * *

Astrid felt a breeze hit her face as she laid against something solid, particularly a tree, but it was in a comfortable position. Her eyes began to ease from their heavy weight, and after a short moment passed - a voice called out to her.

"Astrid."

In her mind, it sounded like Hiccup. Was she dreaming? The feeling of Deja Vu hit her as if she was back on Berk after the incident with the Monstrous Nightmare… but that was not the case.

"Astrid! Can you hear me?"

Her eyes slowly opened, and the light of the grey, cloudy afternoon nearly pierced her sight. The colors of figures began to become apparent to her, and as her eyes fully opened and her vision cleared up, she saw Hiccup in front of her, softly holding a hand against her forehead.

Next to him was Toothless, along with the group, and Magnus and Eira, staring down at her with relieved looks.

She let out a light, cool exhale. "What took you so long?"

Hiccup smiled with a look of hope. "Oh thank Thor. I never thought I would see you again after what happened..."

"I'm fine." she responded, smirking back at the young man. "The question is however; where are we? ...How long has it been since the battle? All I remember is being imprisoned and watched by that damned commander..."

"It's been- a rough day... nearly two, actually." replied Fishlegs who stood next to Heather. "You were out cold for a while, Astrid. We were looking for you two all over the place, and when we finally found you, you were in the commander's grasp... Astrid, he had a dagger held to your throat."

"He what-?"

"Yup, you heard him." Snotlout replied to her, arms crossed. "That idiot nearly costed his own life, but unfortunately, he escaped with the majority of his force. We thought he had a mere three dozen, but it seems that he's gathered more than we could have anticipated."

Magnus sighed. "Well, what do you expect from going up against a great army of over twenty thousand? Ivar has got eyes and ears everywhere in Norway, and everyday, he just grows stronger. His influence has spread wide beyond what I could have imagined. Even before we came to Berk."

Eira scoffed, giving off a light breath. "Ivar is just desperate to beat us. For someone his age commanding such a vast force, he does not have a decent amount of control over tens of thousands of lives. What did that twenty year old boy expect?"

"He probably expected that we would've been an easy opponent. But so far, we have killed more than he has slain." Hiccup stated, standing up from crouching. "Either way though, we need to continue on. If we wait too long, that commander will just call forth more warriors, and we will stand no chance."

Astrid gave a grunting sigh as she used the support of her arms to lift herself up to her feet. "That man?" she asked. "His name is Brynjar I believe. Something along the lines of that."

"Brynjar?" asked Magnus. "His name means a warrior in armor, eh? Didn't look like he was wearing much though. Aside a wool cloak and an edgy leather outfit… along with that weird haircut and beard that looked like grown crap."

Many of the warriors who heard Magnus' words laughed and chuckled lightly, though quickly the laughter would cease as the attention turned back into Hiccup who now stood in the center of the crowd.

"We can laugh later." he said. "The important thing right now is to ready ourselves for battle. There's no doubt that _Brynjar_ will make heavier fortifications to Jyornstad, and we can't let that happen. Instead, we will strike him when and where it hurts."

"And exactly when would that be?" asked Heather.

"Tonight." he replied. "Tonight, we will attack the coward and his weak mob of Vikings, and we will claim the camp for our own. Along with that, we will free our Dragons, and then we will plan our next course of action! Every major blow we make will be one step closer to ending this war!"

"Agreed!" spoke up Snotlout.

"Couldn't have made it more clearer myself." responded Fishlegs.

"I am in on this." said Heather. "I can't wait to kick the Hel out of these Scandinavian rats…"

"Then it's settled." the auburn-haired Viking announced. "Tonight we will strike out, and we shall free and reclaim those who were stolen from us! ...Astrid, are you with us?"

The blonde lass nodded. "I still have enough strength kicking for another fight. This will be a good way to let out the anger and rage those bastards boiled into me, and I will make them pay… But first, I think I'll need some water to drink and wash my face with."

"Alright!" nodded Hiccup with a smirk as he unsheathed his sword, asking in an inspiring tone, "Now, who's ready for a fight!?"

* * *

 **Things are about to get burning hot next chapter!**


	47. Battle Through Fire

**Well, looks like it's time for a battle this chapter! Now, I don't have much to say aside that like with other battles, this chapter will be longer than others, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Also, a thanks to KorrieChan and dabzzygirl for the reviews last chapter!**

 **Now, let's get into the action!**

* * *

The night came quicker than anyone anticipated. Outside the base camp of Jyornstad, Hiccup, along with Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, Heather, and Magnus and Eira crouched from within the woods whilst Toothless remained on guard with the other seventy five warriors.

They stared towards the camp from a far distance, seeing how heavily fortified it was. Guards with bows watched from atop the ramparts, and several more stood outside the entrance with weapons unsheathed.

"Definitely more than three dozen warriors now." began Fishlegs. "Seems more like a hundred if anything. I doubt we can just approach them head on. We'll need a new plan-"

"Like what?" asked Snotlout. "Climbing the walls? Those trenches surrounding them have spikes in them. Anyone who gets shot or pushed off will land in them and get impaled. Through the gate is our only option."

The Ingerman shook his head. "But we will be easily spotted and get shot down. We have to-"

"Will you two stop?" interrupted Hiccup, putting a finger over his lips. "We will be given away if we bicker and remain like this. The best thing to do right now is improvise on our plan rather than change it."

"And what would we do?" Astrid asked him, still facing the camp.

He sighed. "Astrid, we have Toothless with us. There is a reason why he's called a _Night_ Fury. Now, if we're to break through with an easy but effective strategy without getting easily spotted, we'll need to surprise those guards with something they won't see coming."

Magnus nodded after a short moment of thinking. "Hm, that's wise stratagem. But if we're to take them by surprise, we'll need to intimidate them. Something that will get them on alert without warning... Any ideas, Hiccup?"

"...Aye." he said back. "Just leave it to me. Astrid, Toothless, come on. We're going to make our enemy get scared real good."

"I like the sound of that." she replied, followed by a warble of laughter from Toothless. "Lead the way, then."

Hiccup nodded, keeping low as the shield maiden and Dragon followed behind him with extreme stealth. They kept to the woods from the left side of the main path, but the closer they got to the camp, the more they could make out what was going on.

As they closed in on it, still hidden in the woods - they were able to get a small glimpse behind the walls of the base, and inside the camp, they saw dozens of Vikings, either patrolling in separate parties, guarding certain corners, or talking about their own business.

Jyornstad itself however was not much. The camp held basic structures that one would expect; a small Mess Hall, a few huts, a Blacksmith, an unfinished watchtower, a Stable, and a Storehouse.

"Doesn't seem to be much." said Hiccup. "But it looks like they've been arming themselves to the teeth. All we need to do now however is grab the attention of the warriors guarding the entrance."

"Wait Hiccup, we can't get them _all_ onto us. What if we get overrun-"

"Stopping doubting yourself. _Remember_ we have Toothless." he interrupted, grinning. "Do you really think six Vikings would be enough for one Night Fury?"

"...Hm, I guess you're right. I mean- he has already killed many of these rats on his own, so what difference will this be compared to what we've faced previously?"

Hiccup lightly chuckled. "Heh, see? There's the Astrid I know. Now, just leave it to me. I assure you this will go smoothly, and when I give the command, strike."

Astrid nodded as her hand fell to the hilt of her sheathed sword, which acted as her temporal weapon ever since her axe was taken upon captivity.

She then watched as Hiccup picked up a single rock, and then throw it a short distance into a cluster of bushes near them so that the guards up ahead would come close enough for them.

...And to her surprise, it actually worked.

From afar, the guards noticed suspicious movement, and immediately they looked at each other with curiosity, wondering how to act.

"There's something in the distance." one of them said, gripping the hold on their axe and shield. "We may be being eavesdropped…"

"You think it's those filthy Archipelago cowards?" another asked. "The captain did say that they could strike anytime without warning, so maybe we should check it out?"

"Aye, we should." the captain said, before pointing his axe towards three of the guards and directing it towards the forest. "You three, go see what is going on, and search closely."

They saluted their captain, stomping off towards the forest while he and the others remained behind, gazing their direction off from the three wandering warriors.

Astrid smirked. "Three warriors. This will be easier than I expected."

Hiccup smiled, winking at Astrid as they watched the Vikings walk towards them, without them still noticing. Their eyes by this point were fixated onto the guards like an arrow finding a direct mark, and eventually, the moment came where the warriors were nearly on top of them.

"There's no one here." one of them said, looking at the others.

"They can't be far. These bastards have to be hiding around here somewhere." another spoke up. "We must keep searching."

However, their search wouldn't need to continue.

Hiccup motioned the signal to Astrid and Toothless, and Toothless being the smart Dragon he was decided that he was going to flip the three of them over with a tail swing to prevent making much noise.

After getting ready, Hiccup then whispered:

"One… Two… Three!"

And in unison, the three struck out at the Vikings as Toothless swung his tail horizontally, and what followed was a pair of three screams of which would be quickly put to silence.

The captain from the distance however somewhat noticed this, and he turned his head into the direction he sent the warriors into whilst the other two guards stood by his side. At first, there was nothing but dead silence.

...But then, the silhouette of scrawny figure came into view, covered by the shadows of the night, and in both of his hand, he held something.

The two guards and their captain reacted, taking a step forward and giving off threatening gestures to the figure. "Who are you!?" the captain called out. "Turn around, or I will gut you with my axe!"

But Hiccup, who was the one under the shadows, didn't make a move. Instead, he threw the two objects in his hands towards the captain and his men, and what came rolling to their feet made them back up in intimidation.

Before them, were the heads of two of the three warriors that were sent out.

Hiccup then lit his sword as he unsheathed it from it's cover, and he raised it up in the air before shouting loudly;

"CHARGE!"

From the bushes, Toothless pounced out with his mouth lit in a purple light, and immediately he let out a plasma blast towards the captain and the two other guards, tossing them aside in flames as they screamed with fear and pain while rolling on the ground.

"A-AMBU-SH- GAAAAAGH!" the captain screamed.

The archers from atop the ramparts became alert as they saw the captain being burnt to crisp with his men, but they were also intimidated and unprepared as the attack came without any warning whatsoever.

Everything was now going according to plan.

From down below, dozens of Vikings came swarming out from the bushes with great speed, and at the front, Hiccup was the one leading them.

The young lad had his blade gripped tightly, charging without stopping as war cries and yelling echoed from his allies, and all the meanwhile, Toothless and Eira along with the Warsung bowmen began releasing arrows and Dragon fire upon the archers atop the ramparts, sending volley after volley onto them.

And from there, chaos broke loose.

Thankfully, Hiccup and the others were able to breach through front entrance without much trouble as the bowmen from the walls were one by one starting to waver. But upon entering the camp, they were met with a larger force.

The Hairy Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung lined up behind the young Viking and his friends as the enemy formed a battleline of over a hundred men, outnumbering them with dozens more.

"Stand your ground, everyone!" Hiccup called out. "Be ready to charge again! They will not beat us tonight!"

He stood there for half a solid minute, still glaring down the enemy and waiting for something to happen. Both sides wanted to engage the other, but a move had to be made, and as Hiccup swung his sword down vertically, the charge continued.

"Now! FORWARD!" he shouted.

Upon shouting the commanding, everyone immediately rushed forward onto the enemy right as Toothless gave off another plasma blast, and quickly they clashed at one another.

And from there, the battle had really begun.

By this point, Hiccup had nearly regained all of his strength ever since the defeat back on the shore, and the fighting spirit was back in him as he fought alongside Astrid and Toothless in a back-to-back position.

For the fight, he focused on going all out on the enemy, representing the traits of the Vikings of three Tribes that were with him whilst also holding his position and making skillful but complicated attacks. He had the mind and skill of a Berkian, the strength of a Berserker, and the haste of a Warsung warrior.

Whenever an enemy would approach Hiccup, he would focus on getting the Viking off-balance with his strength, striking down at the round-shields they raised in an attempt to pin them down. The scrawny Viking would then curve his attack around, identifying where the enemy was the weakest, and he would do so with ferocious speed, fast enough to where they could not react. And one by one, his enemies fell, battered and bloody.

This went well for a while, until his head tilted, and his eyes fell upon the others.

From a distance, the enemy began forming a shield wall that started to close in on Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Heather along with a few others at their side. His gaze then fell upon Toothless.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup called out.

The Dragon stopped upon hearing his name, though he was still in a combat-ready position. He turned to face Hiccup who had his sword pointing outwards in the distance, and as he spun his head towards the direction, he saw what Hiccup was pointing out.

In response to this, Toothless left from where he was fighting from, running to jump atop one of the huts for high ground, and from there, his mouth lit up in a purple flash as he released a plasma blast upon the dozen Vikings clustering up on the others, resulting them to be blasted apart in flames.

Hiccup gave a smirk of approval as he then switched his glance onto Astrid.

"Astrid, with me!" he called out, earning a nod from the shield maiden as they both ran over to the group, cutting down any foe that stood in their path, and upon reaching them, all seven of them formed a back-to-back circle, with Toothless gliding down into the center to blast away the enemy.

"They nearly had us, Hiccup!" Fishlegs yelled towards him. "They just came out of nowhere and began to close in on us!"

"Well, there's a reason why we have Toothless!" Hiccup replied, stabbing his weapon out at an oncoming Viking.

Heather replied with "True!" as she cut down an approaching foe with the axe and sword she wielded. "But the question is, where in the name of Thor are the other Dragons!?"

Her question would be answered quickly as a series of roars emanated from atop the hill leading to the Mess Hall. Four cages laid near it, rattling violently with flames bursting out from them. The group knew then for certain that it was their Dragons.

Hiccup felt relief and confidence upon the seeing their Dragons, but he nearly lost track of attention as Astrid called out loudly to him from his side.

"HICCUP, LOOK OUT!"

The Viking turned to face his left, and from a short distance he saw three warriors rushing him with their weapons gripped tightly in hand. Immediately, Hiccup held his sword out, ready to strike…

But before they could reach him, they were already quickly cleaved down.

From behind, Magnus charged towards the three Vikings, and with a single great cleave, he decapitated _all three_ of them as if they were nothing to him, and as the three headless corpses fell to his feet, the group stared at him, jaw-dropped.

The Chieftain arched a brow. "What!? They were about to kill you, you know!"

"W- Well Magnus. It's just that- well…" Hiccup stuttered, trying to form out the words to express, but Magnus held his hands up, halting him.

"Forget about it, lad! What's important right now is that we free our Dragons, and flush Brynjar out of hiding! Now go! Do what must be done!"

Magnus turned his back around, charging his way back into combat while roaring as metal slashing followed.

Hiccup spun his head to the others, gesturing to follow. "We have to free them. C'mon!"

They all nodded back as their attention turned towards the hill leading up, and from there it became a fight up to the Mess Hall as they fought any opponent who got in their way.

But this would not go entirely unnoticed.

From the entrance of the Hall, commander Brynjar stood with his great axe in-hand, gripped tightly as he watched the young Vikings run up the hill, cutting down his men.

His eyes then fell upon his two bodyguards who stood at his side as he began shoving them towards one of the cages. However, it was a cage that did not stand alongside the other Dragons.

"Don't let them free the Dragons! Keep them away at all costs!" he said with a guttural tone.

The bodyguards looked at him with desperate and slightly confused expressions, but one of them spoke up in realization upon looking at the large, lonesome cage.

"Wait, do you want us to-!?"

"Aye!" he replied, before turning his back as he proceeded to walk into the Mess Hall. "Release the flaming beast! Let their small and weak force burn to a crisp!"

He laughed loudly, cackling as the doors of the hall were closed shut behind him upon entering. And thus the two Vikings would put the commander's plan into motion, ready to make something happen that Hiccup was not prepared for, nor anticipated for.

The young man gazed to the top of the hill as the commander fled inside the hall, and he watched as the two bodyguards made their way to the cage that their leader had pointed out.

Curiosity immediately held ahold of him.

"What are they doing?"

But it would be too late for him to even guess.

As the warriors banged their weapons on the large iron cell, a roar emanated from it, and the attention of the group fell onto it as they ceased their fighting. Something wasn't right, and _it_ was big.

"What, was, that!?" Fishlegs called out, backing up a few steps.

The door to the cage would suddenly be unlocked however, and from it, flames bursted outwards as a winged reptile came out with its mouth opened wide, and parts of its body were bound by black chains, including the jaw. To this, everyone gasped.

It was without a doubt a Dragon.

The bodyguards pulled heavily on the chains that were wrapped around the Dragon's mouth, and as it opened up, they aimed for Hiccup and the group as flames violently lit up.

"Oh Gods." gulped Fishlegs.

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Hiccup shouted, allowing for Toothless and the gang to react just in time to find cover as the beast released a blast of bright flames. It flew passed them, but it impacted into a cluster of seven Hooligan, Berserker, and Warsung warriors, enveloping them to ashes.

Hiccup grunted while covering behind Toothless who used his wings as protection. He gazed at the two Vikings that forcefully maneuvered the Dragon where to fire, but the real question for him was; where did Ivar obtain a Dragon? How did he obtain a Dragon?

For now however, he shrugged it off as he turned to face Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs, do you know what Dragon that is?" he asked him. "Is it in the Book of Dragons? Is it by chance one that you've seen before?"

"...That's a Singetail! Stoker Class Dragon!" he replied, covering behind a barrel as another fiery projectile flew by them. "When Stoick sent us a few months back to help Spitelout set up his Storehouse on another island, we encountered a small flock of Singetails that nearly destroyed us and our longship as we fled from them! Didn't think we'd find one here, though!"

"I didn't see it coming either!" Heather responded back, gripping her weapons as she hid behind a sturdy crate. "The question is however; how did they learn to get Dragons on their side!? Ivar could've never-"

"Ivar does not know how to tame Dragons!" Hiccup interrupted, glancing back at the Singetail who shook violently from the chains bound to it.

"But from what I see here, it seems that Singetail is being forced to attack us! It's clearly struggling! All I can say is that whoever gave Ivar this Singetail and taught him how to control it is definitely not of Scandinavia!"

Astrid nodded. "Then we should act now and free it from those cowards controlling it! Our men are being burnt to a crisp!"

"Agreed!" Hiccup replied. "Toothless, cover me as I make my way up! The rest of you, fall back to the battle and continue the fight! We will handle it from here!"

Everyone nodded upon command, rushing back down the hill as they joined the fight once more with Magnus and Eira, and soon, Hiccup began making his way slowly up the hill with Toothless acting as his shield and bulwark.

But they would not continue with ease.

Brynjar's bodyguards saw Hiccup and Toothless marching towards them in an attempt to strike out, and thus their attention quickly turned towards them, forcefully making the Singetail fire upon them rather than his allies. Though by this time, the camp was now in flames.

Toothless lifted his wings up in the form of a barrier for the lad, but now they were now stuck in that position as they were being pinned down, with the Singetail still being forced to release fire onto them.

Hiccup shook his head. "We can't continue on like this!" he said to the Night Fury. "If we're to get that Dragon freed without hurting it, we'll need to take out one of the guards from here to loosen their control over it!"

The idea was obvious, for he then said three words to the Black Dragon: "Toothless, plasma blast!"

Toothless turned his head to one of the bodyguards as he lit his mouth up, firing a purple ball of fire towards the warrior on the right which resulted in a successful direct impact. The Viking was alit in flames, and he fell to the ground rolling, screaming. But the other bodyguard knew that he was screwed.

"Dammit!" he said loudly. "Now Brynjar's going to-!"

Suddenly, the Singetail began shaking violently as it's wings started to flap up and down upon release of the chain, proceeding to go somewhat airborne as the other bodyguard attempted to hold it down with the chain he still gripped with his hands.

Hiccup knew now that it was time for him to strike.

"Let's do this." he said.

He stood to his feet with his blade held tightly in his left hand as he rushed up the hill, charging towards the man with brute force. The Viking however was forced to let go of the chain as he saw Hiccup approaching, and immediately he unsheathed his spear in an attempt to parry.

But a spear of wood would do little against a sword with fire as Hiccup easily sliced the weapon into two, and all that remained were two halves of a spear with a burnt cut separating them.

The bodyguard looked up at Hiccup as he dropped the remnants of his spear, raising his hands up in surrender and hoping that the Viking would at least take him prisoner.

But all that came from the young man was the shake of his head.

"Sorry." the scrawny Viking said to him. "But I don't take prisoners."

And with that, Hiccup quickly gouged his blade through the man's chest, stabbing him three times as the sensation of fire coursed through his body and armor, and just like that, he would be tossed aside as the man fell to Hiccup's feet, lifeless.

"Good riddance!" he spat, now satisfied with his work before looking up, watching as the Singetail released itself of all the chains bound around it, before flying off without looking back.

Hiccup smiled at the thought of the Dragon being freed as it flew off, but his thought quickly shifted, remembering that there were others that he also had to free.

His body spun to face the other Dragons who rattled and shook in their cages, whilst roaring in hope that someone would free, and that someone would thankfully turn out to be Hiccup.

"I know what to do next."

He began making his way over to the Dragons as they continuously roared from their cages, but as Hiccup came closer and closer to them, their roars slowly began ceasing as their heads from underneath the metal bars turned to face him.

They knew it was him, just by his scent.

Their heads slightly lowered as they backed up in respect, knowing Hiccup was not hostile. One by one, Hiccup cleaved the locks apart with his fiery blade until the cages were all busted opened, and the mighty reptiles were let loose once more.

From down below however, Magnus and the others still fought, and as he was prepared to move onto his next foe after cutting down his previously one, he heard a series of Dragon roars emanate from the top of the hill, and as he turned his head towards the direction he heard it, he saw Hiccup, along with Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch standing by him.

"Oh... he's done it now." he said to himself, grinning and chuckling as he watched the Dragons fly up into the air, excluding Toothless, all before they began raining down a flaming hel onto the enemy as blasts of fire came crashing down upon them, taking them out by fews at a time with each blast exploding on impact.

But then there came a quick turn in the tide of battle.

The pressure alone from the Dragons was enough intimidate the enemy as their will to fight had now been broken, and the retreat horn sounded as the remnants of Brynjar's forces ran out the gate of the burning camp with a massive chain route - into the woods of the cloudy night.

Seeing this happen, the Hooligan, Berserker, and Warsung warriors cheered in victory as their foe cowardly fled from the battle, and as the last sword was struck and the last Dragon fired, that was all the camp was filled with; cheers of glory and relief along with roars from the victorious Dragons as they descended to the ground.

Hiccup gave a wide hopeful smile whilst making his way down the hill, and at the bottom he met up with his friends face first as they cheered for him from the outcome of the battle, whilst also reuniting with their Dragons.

Especially Astrid, who approached him with a happy look on her face as she hugged him tightly, chuckling with a hearty expression.

"We did it, Hiccup!" she said. "We won! Haha!"

Hiccup nodded lightly with a smile still on his face, hugging Astrid back until after a small moment passed. They then pulled back and released each other.

He stared back at her after letting go. "Hopefully this victory will make Ivar know that we are not done fighting yet, and nor will we ever be done fighting."

"That may be so." Magnus' voice replied in the distance as he approached them. "But it is too early to celebrate. We still have something else to take care of."

He gestured his head back towards the top of the hill where the Mess Hall stood, and Hiccup realized that though they earned a victory, they were not quite done yet.

"Right." he said back to Magnus. "Guess I'll need to do what needs to be done."

He nodded at Hiccup. "Brynjar is yours to take care of. For now I need to order my men to pursue the routed enemy, and then we'll free the prisoners that are held up here."

"...And don't forget the Hunting Lodge. We still need to loot it."

Magnus chuckled. "Right, that too."

Hiccup cleared his throat as his attention turned to the Mess Hall, and slowly he would begin walking towards it with his sword still gripped in-hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cowardly commander to kill. Astrid, Snotlout!"

...

* * *

Brynjar stood near the end of the Hall, next to his throne as he paced back and forth. He had two more warriors by his side who stood guard, watching as their commander paced.

"What is going on out there!?" he bellowed, hitting his steps against the wooden floor. "First I hear loud cheering and roaring, and then everything goes quiet. Where the Hel are my men!? WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"Commander." one of the warriors spoke up. "I don't know about you, but maybe our warriors were routed? By now they would have reported back to us and-"

"I highly doubt it." Brynjar interrupted as he halted in his steps. "Our warriors would never-"

Before being able to finish his sentence however, a great thud hit itself against the doors of the Mess Hall. All eyes in the room immediately turned to face them, and the guards quickly drew their weapons as they slowly advanced from their positions.

Then, after a fourth and final thud, the large wooden latch locking the entrance cracked and busted into two as the doors were pushed opened widely by a pair of scrawny hands, and from outside, Hiccup came stomping in with Astrid and Snotlout on both of his flanks, along with Toothless who followed from behind.

The bodyguards instantly attempted to attack Hiccup, but their underestimation and low preparation would quickly prove to be the end of them. Astrid and Snotlout were just too quick, and they responded by striking out at the two warriors with quick but effective parries before stabbing their swords directly through both men's chests in unison.

Hiccup still continued walking however with Toothless now marching at his side, growling loudly at the commander who was now backed into a corner.

Brynjar in response unsheathed his great axe, getting himself into a combat ready state while pointing his weapon out towards Hiccup with one of his hands gripped tightly onto it.

To Toothless however, he found the Viking's _fancy_ position more funny as he simply let out a plasma bolt towards the blade of the axe, blasting it out of the man's hands.

Hiccup then begun hastening his advance onto Brynjar, and upon reaching him, he grabbed the man by the collar of his tunic that laid beneath his gambeson. Both hands were gripped tightly as he pushed the commander to his knees.

Brynjar could only responded with a shaky and stuttering voice however as he breathed intensely at the sight of the unexpected yet victorious Viking.

"So then," Hiccup began with his voice sounding intimidating. "Ivar somehow managed to get his hands on a Dragon, and yet when he ordered the first invasion a month earlier, none were captured. So tell me; how did your King get his hands on a Dragon? Hm?"

The commander however did not say a word to the eighteen year old.

He was more fearful for his life rather than being able to have the guts to speak to him, and to this, Hiccup raised his hand up and backhanded the man with a hard yet surprising strike. Surprising for someone who was especially scrawny like him.

The Viking shook him violently. "TELL ME!"

The commander nodded his head up and down in a quick motion. "F- Fine! I'll tell yo- you what I- I know!" he began, stuttering. "...I- Ivar told us that he was given Dragons by an outside ally from the Archipelago, and that his ally is one who seeks the similar goals he seeks!"

"An outside ally?" Hiccup questioned, increasing his grip on the man's collar. "Is it from one of our Tribes?"

The commander shook his head. "N- No! ...But he didn't give a name on who it was!"

The young lad squinted his eyes in curiosity. "Well, if there are other Dragons out there, then most likely you know where they are. Thus, I will ask you this once; where are they?"

By now, Brynjar ran out of words to let out from his mouth. He was reduced to an intimidated and scared man-child which Hiccup found pathetic, seeing as the man was older than him. But still, the young Viking was not finished with him yet.

"Come with me, coward." he said. "I have something to show you…"

…

* * *

Hiccup made his way outside of the Mess Hall along Astrid and Snotlout who had Brynjar in their grasp - with their hands holding his arms in a tight grip.

Toothless too marched alongside Hiccup while also standing in front of the broken commander who was being dragged by the two other Vikings, but it wouldn't go unnoticed.

A small crowd of people began gathering around the three Vikings and Night Fury as Brynjar was pushed to muddy ground in full view of their forces.

Only thing being however, was that he was pushed to Magnus' feet.

The Warsung Chieftain knelt down to Brynjar's level, all before giving Hiccup a nod of approval as he grabbed the Scandinavian by his chest and forced him to look up. Now the cowardly commander was looking directly into his eyes.

"So…" Magnus began. "Are you happy with what you have done here today? Just look around you, and you'll see what I mean. Look at all the devastation you placed onto so many good lives who fought to avenge their brothers and sisters that fell beneath the hands of your King's dark tyranny!"

And Brynjar did just that. He glanced around at all the death that surrounded him, and although there were more dead on his side, there was also still quite a lot of death on the Tribes' side. At least two dozen laid dead for Magnus and his allies.

But despite all the bloody carnage that happened today, the Viking commander did not say anything. At least not until Magnus spoke up once again - now speaking in Norse.

"Thinn breyta mun-at fara ú-witaendhes á sjá doeger, en né munu vér óminni. Thinn víti, _ir víst._ (Your acts will not go unknowingly on this day, and nor will we forget. Your punishment, _is certain._ )"

The commander opened his mouth in response to this, stuttering. "At- At thví er miklu, gull en silfr, vinna ykkr vilja á spara vith minn lifs?! Hvatventa!? ATH, HVATVENTA! (How- How much, gold and silver, do you want for sparing my life!? Anything!? PLEASE, ANYTHING!)"

Hiccup sighed at Brynjar - not in a pitiful manner, but rather a manner of finding the commander's reaction pathetic. And to everyone's surprise, he too began speaking in Norse.

"Nei. Ér ru tynad. Sá látinn ru verth lund meir, thana gull en silfr… Aén sjá; hverr ór sjá, ir verth _thinn_ lifs. (No. You are mistaken. The dead are worth more, than gold and silver… But this; all of this, is worth _your_ life.)"

No more words came out from the commander after that. It seemed no matter what he said, and no matter what he did, he would not be able to convince Hiccup to spare his life. Even as he sat there on his knees, hanging his head down, he felt hopeless.

But to Hiccup, he saw it as revenge for what Ivar and his men did to his friends.

The lad cleared his throat, giving a light nod to Magnus before turning to two Hooligan warriors that stood near him. "He's no longer of any worth to us... Take him into the woods, and leave him for the crows to feed on. Make sure to drag him by horse."

Brynjar's eyes widened, follow by a gasp. "Wait, what are you going to-!?"

Suddenly, the feeling of sharp, burning metal pierced through the side of his stomach, and as he looked down, he saw that Hiccup stabbed him right through with his sword.

He looked back up, gazing at Hiccup who stared directly back at him, straight into his eyes, and like a falling tree, he fell over onto his side.

From the Stables, a horse came riding out with a rope wrapped and attached to it's back, and without much effort, the commander who was slowly bleeding out had his ankles bound to one end of the rope, and with haste, the two Vikings who were atop the horse began to ride out.

Hiccup watched as Brynjar was dragged along the dirty ground out of the camp by his ankles, and after that moment passed and the man was out of site, Hiccup knew that it would be the last time he would ever see him again.

But alas, his war was still far from over.

From behind him, Astrid approached with a small smile on her face as she lightly grabbed ahold of his hand, to which the lad to replied with a light smirk as he felt his heart warm up - especially with the familiar feeling of snow falling from the winter sky now filling the air.

"Didn't know you could speak Norse." she said to him.

Hiccup chuckled. "Well, me being around Scandinavians for years has taught me that much, so it's not really much of a surprise."

Astrid gave a hearty chuckle as she tilted her head up towards the skies, and then let out a sigh.

"So." she said. "What now?"

"Now…? Well, now we celebrate our victory. Tonight is a good night for our people, and this battle will not be forgotten, and nor will our enemy forget. When our men return with the rest of the supplies from the Hunting Lodge and Farm, we'll feast and drink to our dead. Songs will be sung, tales will be told, and food will be held for everyone here!"

His head slowly turned to face the rest of the warriors and maidens that stood around him, gazing at him with expressions of hope and influence from the young Viking.

With a loud voice, he spoke up, shouting; "Hail to the dead!", and a heavy number of cheers followed, echoing and booming throughout the snowy night.

Tonight, they would feast well.

* * *

 **Just one more note to those confused on the Singetail, and the 'other' Dragons that Ivar possesses:**

 **I want to say that if you don't know by now, the Dragons which Ivar has were given to him by Drago who** **was already introduced earlier in the story along with Krogan. But. Before you guys make any assumptions on Drago aiding him, consider this:**

 **Are they _really_ allies, or does one of them have a ploy to end the other? **

**I assure you that this will be answered in time. But you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

 **Also, expect a small time jump next chapter!**

 **But for now;**

 _ **To be continued...**_


	48. Feeling Like Home

**This chapter is one I enjoyed making since I was inspired by the very early chapters in the story where it was based around Hiccup's lifestyle rather than during his time of war. Though** **the main conflict in the story is still going on, I still think it's good to give our characters a bit of time to relax from it and watch what they do and plan out. Wouldn't you agree? :P**

 **As for the reviews. I'd like to thank dabzzygirl (who is now named Aspielady) and KorrieChan for the reviews last chapter!**

 **Now with that out of the way, let's move on in the story!**

* * *

 _ **1 week later…**_

The morning sun hit Hiccup's eyes through the opened window as he woke from his good and comfortable nightly slumber. He looked around the room of the newly built hut he was in, and as his eyes fell upon Toothless who was wide and awake, he smiled.

He yawned, slowly getting out of bed as he sat up. "Good morning, bud. I assume you had a good sleep last night?"

The Night Fury warbled happily, landing his head on Hiccup's lap whilst giving a Dragon-like smile to the young Viking, and to this, he smiled at Toothless as he gave off a hearty chuckle.

"Alright, alright!" he said, giggling. "I'm up, Toothless… Now, what say you and I go see how things are running? I'll just grab my cloak and we'll be off to-"

Toothless immediately sprung his head off of Hiccup's lap, running downstairs with haste as he made his way out the door, with the lad being able to hear everything that was going on. He shook his head and laughed.

After a moment passed, he forced himself to stand up before he grabbed his cloak that laid against the chair by his work-desk and began making his way out.

Upon exiting his hut and shutting the door behind him, he spotted Toothless sitting on all fours, still giving the same cute and gummy smile to the Viking.

Hiccup grinned. "Right then, let's take a walk to the Blacksmith. Afterwards, we'll find the others and see what they're doing. Along with their Dragons."

Toothless once more warbled as he gladly followed behind the young Viking, beginning their short walk along the path towards the smithy.

By now it had been a week ever since Hiccup captured Jyornstad and settled in it with the others, and much of the damage caused to him and his friends had begun to heal. The numbers of the Tribes present had now also started to increase, mostly made up of the Hairy Hooligan and Warsung Tribes.

But, the improvements didn't stop there.

Hiccup even took the opportunity to not just rebuild the camp, but as well as to expand it out more, and renovate it to the point where it had huts and structures that were similar to those on Berk, making the place feel almost like Berk - and it was all within the course of a week.

Best of all however, the outpost was renamed in honor of the Dragons that protected them, and it was with great approval from the others to remind them that they were under the protection of the mighty winged reptiles.

They named the base; 'Dragon's Wake.'

To everyone, all seemed to be going good and decent now that they had a chance to stand… but Hiccup deep down did not feel the same as everyone else did. Especially since he felt that the base was one Viking short. One Chieftain short.

And that Chieftain was obviously his father, Stoick.

Despite the thought however, Hiccup shoved it aside as he continued making his way forward along the dirt road, until he finally reached the Blacksmith where the Warsung Chieftain resided in.

Magnus hammered down on the weapon he was working on, wearing his blue wool shirt and brown vest without his armor, and as Hiccup got closer to him from a distance with Toothless following behind - he looked up at the younger Viking through the window of the counter, and he gave him a smile.

"Good morning, Hiccup!" he said as the lad entered the Smithy. "Did you have a good enough sleep last night?"

"Best I've had in a long while now. In fact, probably one of the best I've had in years because of that Slavemaster who always woke me up with his bad breath and ugly words."

Magnus lightly chuckled. "But he's dead, remember? ...Though I will say, he was quite a disgusting man. He didn't brush his teeth or tend to his hygiene like how everyone in Kattegat did. Never had I seen a Scandinavian so filthy who hardly washed himself."

Hiccup nodded. "Well it's Olaf… _remember?_ "

The older Viking stopped hammering at the sword he was working on, and looked up at Hiccup with an expressionless look as if he had done something wrong. Then, after a short moment passed by... he began to chuckle in a hearty manner.

"Smart one, aren't you?" he laughed, before joking on with; "Ya like stealing my lines, _bácraut?_ " mimicking Hiccup's impression with a bad word in Norse.

Hiccup placed his hands up as he made a lip-roll, replying back as he also mimicked in Magnus' impression. "My apologies. I won't do such terrible things again, _Alföthr._ "

That was it. The two were now laughing their rears off as they filled the room with loud howls like a pack a wolves. After a few seconds passed by, they patted each other's shoulder before giving out a brotherly hug as they began to settle down.

Hiccup sighed with a smile on his face, making his way to Magnus' work-desk as he sat in the chair that stood by it. He settled his neck and shoulders down, allowing himself to breathe slowly and recover his breath from the joke-show.

"So…" he began, clearing his throat. "How long have you been working in here?"

"Not for long." replied Magnus as he continued hammering at the blade of a weapon. "However, I did decide to continue working on my... _project_ as you would call it, and I've officially decided on what it will be. It's something that will aid me in future battles."

"Judging by the blade, I guess it is a new weapon?" Hiccup asked, receiving the mix of a nod and shake of the older man's head.

"You could say it is a new weapon. After all, when I rummaged through the Blacksmith and inspected the ores that the enemy stored here, I decided to use them for my own since they were just what I needed. But soon enough, you'll see what kind of weapon it is."

The younger Viking nodded, still watching Magnus hammer down on the blade he was working on. But as he reached over for the tongs and used it to grab the blade, his eyes fell on the forge and he sighed with a slight frown.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"The forge is out of flame again… Hiccup, mind giving me a hand of some sorts?"

The young man stood to his feet, giving a wink to the smithy as he whistled for his Dragon. "Toothless, mind lighting the forge?"

Toothless, who was looking around the room, heard the whistle as well as Hiccup's call - and he turned to face him. Upon command he walked over to the forge and opened his mouth, showing off a purple light, and with a light exhale, a small flash of fire came out and successfully lit the coals of the forge, allowing for Magnus to continue with his work.

The older Viking placed the blade into the fire with the tongs still gripping onto it, and upon removing after a minute passed by - he gave a happy grin, satisfied with the outcome of the fire's work.

"Such an excellent fire! Your Dragon did a great job with such little effort, Hiccup." he complimented, bowing his head to the Night Fury. "Thank you, Toothless!"

Hiccup nodded back, giving off a slight giggle. "Hear that, bud? Looks like you might be a smithy like me someday, eh?"

The Dragon warbled with a laugh of some sorts as Hiccup pat the top of his head, and then the lad's eyes spun as he gazed back at Magnus who was still working. A thought immediately fell on him.

"Oh- uh, Magnus?"

"Hm?" the older Viking mumbled.

"I just wanted to ask you; has Astrid or any of the others been looking for me? I haven't seen them ever since I woke up this morning, or even while I was making my way here."

"...I believe they were looking for you earlier." the blacksmith answered, still keeping his eyes on the blade he hammered. "Eira right now is training the men who are on duty, but I think the others are waiting for you in the Mess Hall. I remembered Astrid saying that's where she would be waiting for you, but you should go check to see if they're still there."

Hiccup nodded in gratitude. "Alright - I'll see you later, then. Thanks for telling me, Magnus!" he replied. He then gladly made his way out the door of the Blacksmith, and the Chieftain from behind waved him a farewell upon exiting.

Toothless once more proceeded to follow Hiccup, standing by his side as they began making their way to their next destination at the top of the hill - towards the Mess Hall.

"Well, bud. Looks like we're going to have a warm welcome waiting for us. Let's get moving."

...

* * *

The doors to the Mess Hall opened widely as Hiccup entered with an eager expression on his face, and upon going in, he saw his friends sitting at the long table in the center of the hall with food in front of them. Along with that, one seat remained empty.

They all waved over to the eighteen year old, giving him a cheerful welcome.

Astrid spoke up, giving off a smirk. "About time you're awake. We saved a seat for you!"

Fishlegs then called out, waving his arm. "Morning, Hiccup!"

Hiccup chuckled as he waved back to them, but the moment was cut short as Toothless stepped forward and gave out a croon of interest upon sight of a large metal bowl filled with fish, laying near the group. Their Dragons who were in Hall feasted out of it, and the Night Fury soon felt his tongue get wet with hunger.

The young Viking had no problem with it however as he pointed his hand out, allowing for the Dragon to go feast along with the other winged reptiles. And that's exactly what Toothless did as he darted by with haste.

Hiccup shook his head with a grin before turning his eyes onto the chair that was left for him, and coincidentally - it sat right next to Astrid. He then made his way over to it before seating himself comfortably in it, and from there they began to converse.

"So... how is everyone doing?" he asked, spinning his spoon in the meaty stew that laid in front of him.

"We're doing fine." answered Snotlout as he drank from his mug of milk. "It's actually better than usual, to be honest."

"Tell me about it." Heather replied, sipping from her warm stew. "A week passes by after we deal a decent blow to the enemy, and we already have a strong base set up in the enemy's own territory. Everyday this place is just improving. Plus, the sun is finally beginning to come out."

Astrid nodded. "And it's also beginning to feel almost like home, as if we were back on Berk. We've surely made this place look colorful - especially with all of the dyes we applied to the huts."

"Dyes?" asked Hiccup with a tone of interest.

"Yeah, Dyes." she answered back to him. "We began dying the roofs of the huts with different colors which are made up of blue, red, and even a brownish auburn. I thought of your hair, so I decided to suggest that color."

"Quite creative." Hiccup complimented, earning a thanking gesture from Astrid as she winked one of her eyes at him.

"We're also still continuing to expanding the base outwards." said Fishlegs, joining in. "But it may take some time since filling the old trenches in that the enemy dug up is quite a bit of a task. But everyone is hoping that we'll be able to soon enough turn this place into a village."

"It would sound like a good idea to call this place a village." Hiccup replied with a small grin, only for his head to tilt down as he took a sip from his stew and said; "...If only we weren't in a war."

And the lad did have a point. Everyone in the room knew that. As long as they were at war against Ivar and his Vikings, they could not take a moment to relax for too long to the point where they settle down too much. One wrong move and the Völsung Chieftain could sweep in and take them out.

"...You're right, Hiccup." Astrid replied, setting her breakfast aside. "In times like these, we cannot hope to best the enemy as long as we sit here in Dragon's Wake and hope that the storm is waited out. We can only best them out in the field like true Vikings."

Hiccup gave a nod. "Now you're starting to consider better, Astrid. I like the way you are thinking. Though if I may be honest, it does remind me of my father-"

"Hey, HEY!" Tuffnut called out, causing everyone to turn their heads towards the Twins who sat farthest near the entrance of the Hall. Atop Tuff's head, mugs were stacked. "Can't you see we're trying to do something important here!?"

"Oh Gods…" responded Hiccup, facepalming himself with a slightly irritated sigh. "And what exactly could be more important than discussing how we should proceed in this war?"

"We're trying to do a contest over here!" said Ruffnut as she stacked another empty mug atop her brother's head. "We call this game Drink and Stack!"

Astrid raised a brow. "Why?"

"Because the one playing has to drink the milk out of the mug before stacking them on top of their head. Whoever stacks the most wins, and I am winning!" Tuffnut replied.

"But those mugs are empty." Fishlegs stated. "How can you play your own game if you're already breaking your own rule-"

"We drank from them earlier!" the Twins said in unison as they quickly interrupted Fishlegs. But as their heads turned to face him - the stack of mugs immediately became unbalanced from atop Tuffnut's head, and just like that, they fell over all over him like an avalanche.

The Thorston stared at the mugs in embarrassment, and then his eyes fell upon his sister. "This is all your fault!"

"Mine!? You didn't keep your head still, muttonhead! I placed them all on top of your head one by one. But you turned your head and they fell over, period. It's game over! Therefore, I officially declare myself the winner. Got any words to say, brother?"

Tuffnut said nothing. He only turned himself to face the other direction with his arms crossed as he shook his head, grumbling as if he were a child.

Afterwards, a short period of silence followed among the group whilst the Dragons ate their fish... That was until Hiccup spoke up.

"You know." he began. "Now that I think about earlier… I believe there is a way of how we can effectively, and ultimately, take down Ivar. Yeah…! I have an idea."

All eyes gazed up at Hiccup with curiosity and interest. It seemed that he already had a plan up his sleeve and in mind.

"Oh?" replied Snotlout. "And what do you have in mind, exactly?"

"Before we were defeated back on the beach, Astrid and I along with Fishlegs and Heather faced off against the various major Clans that Ivar had under his command. Now that I think about it, I remember their names. The Bloody Berserkers, the Broken Axe, the Dark Eye, and the Iron Wolf. But when we went up against them separately rather than altogether, I realized something…"

"Tell us." said Astrid. "We're still listening."

Hiccup continued on. "...I began to realize that those Clans were not as powerful without the of the rest of the Great Army at their side. We killed hundreds of Vikings in those woods that day, with only three Dragons and a hundred men at our side. And the catch is that we faced them off one by one."

Everyone's eyes soon widened in surprise as if they began thinking of what Hiccup was possibly thinking. Especially Heather who became excited with the idea.

She opened her mouth. "So wait. What you are saying is that if we go up against each Clan separately…"

"Then we can take them out easily along with the other minor Tribes aiding them before moving onto the next. This way we can take down Ivar's army quickly and efficiently without having to face them all at once. This may just work."

"Brilliant idea!" Fishlegs smiled, slamming his hands on the table. "And who knows if we could discover anymore Dragons that Ivar has in his possession! Can you imagine it?"

"Who knows?" replied Hiccup with agreement in his tone. "All I can say now is that I have a plan I am willing to put out into motion. And I think the first target for our new ploy will be the-"

Suddenly, the doors of the Mess Hall bursted opened as a Hooligan scout came running through with haste, though Hiccup wasn't sure if the man was running from something or if he had an urgent message.

The man nearly fell to his feet as he stopped - and upon stopping, he began breathing intensely.

"What is it, warrior?" Hiccup asked as he stood from his seat. "You look like you were running from something."

The Viking raised his hand up in assurance, signifying that all was well for him. But when he bent his back out and stood up straight, he began to speak of something that would soon catch the interest of the group.

"I was running from nothing, sir." he replied. "In fact, I just came back from scouting with the group that Eira sent out earlier this morning, but there's something that we saw along the road upon returning here."

"What did you see?" asked Astrid, arms crossed in a curious position.

"Vikings." he replied. "But they are not of the enemy. They are in fact part of one of our own allied Tribes, and when I saw them marching along the road - I noticed that they were walking without haste or alert. They are probably aware that you are here, good master Hiccup."

"Did you catch their colors, or maybe even symbol?" the lad asked back - his words now quickening.

The Viking nodded. "Aye. We caught the glimpse of a banner which had a tan-colored fabric, along with a black Dragon which acted as the symbol. I believe it was the drawing of a Skrill, or maybe-?"

Everyone's eyes immediately widened upon the description the warrior gave, and by the looks of it, they knew who was coming and what Tribe it was. But Heather out of the group was the one who was mostly shocked as she knew well about the Tribe marching to them.

"If the crest of the banner is a Skrill," Heather said, sounding somewhat shocked but excited. "Then that can only mean that it's the-"

Before being able to finish, the immediate and sudden sound of a horn blew loudly outside the Mess Hall as it emanated and echoed throughout Dragon's Wake, and instantly everyone recognized the sound of the horn.

"That horn… it could only come from one Tribe."

...

* * *

They all made their way out of the Mess Hall with their Dragons following from behind. Nearing the center of Dragon's Wake, Hiccup could see that there was a large crowd of warriors and maidens gathered around near the gate; all of them curious to see what was happening.

The young Viking then began making his way through the crowd with the others behind him, and as the warriors around them started noticing Hiccup - they all begun to make room for him before settling down.

Magnus who stood from afar noticed this, and walked over to the group who were now standing in the center of the crowd with their Dragons.

"Hiccup!" he called out. "What is going on?"

The auburn-haired Viking's head spun to face Magnus as he walked over to them with his arms crossed. "We heard a horn blow, Magnus." he said. "But it sounded all too familiar to us, so we had see who it was. And I believe I know who it is."

"Who, though?" the Warsung Chieftain asked.

Suddenly, the horn blew once more, this time closer than before which caused the crowd of warriors around to chatter amongst themselves, knowing perhaps who it was. Even Magnus was now giving a questioning look.

His eyes widened with concern. "Wait- that horn sounds familiar."

"That's what we all thought." Astrid replied, eyeing the top of the ramparts. "But we need to make sure that we know who it is. We are certain it is-"

"Chief Magnus!" a voice called out.

From atop the ramparts, a Warsung warrior shouted out to the Chieftain with a look as if he had seen something. But obviously in this case - he had, and before Hiccup knew it, the black-haired Viking darted towards the ladder leading up toward the rampart, causing him to as well quickly follow from behind.

Upon the two of them reaching the top of the wall, they looked at the man who stood at attention before Magnus, but he was quickly put to ease.

"At ease, warrior." the Chieftain ordered. "You called for me. So what is it you wanted to show me?"

In the distance, the horn blowed a final time, answering the Chief's question to the warrior as dozens of familiar figures came into view.

From afar, Vikings wearing metal helmets covering nearly their entire heads quickly came into view. They flew their banners high, and the color of a Tribe which both Hiccup and Magnus knew all too familiar became clear to them. The crest was also clear enough to be seen, as it was indeed the symbol of a Skrill.

Hiccup gave a look of hope upon sight of the army that marched towards them. He knew well that it was…

"The Berserkers." he said in a low, whispered tone. "They're here. All of them!"

And when he meant all of them, he really did mean all of them. Over two hundred Berserkers marched with discipline behind the man that led them all to Dragon's Wake.

At the front of the ranks was the Berserker Chieftain; Dagur.

* * *

 **Quick last note before ending off this chapter; I just wanted to say that I decided to give the name Dragon's Wake rather than 'Dragon's 'Edge' since it wouldn't make any sense to name it the Edge when it's based in Norway. However, you can consider this a Dragon's Edge version 0.5. :P**

 **Anyways, that's all I wanted to say. Either way, I hope you guys liked this one! :)**


	49. Revealing News

**So for this chapter I decided to make it shorter so that moving onto the next one won't take much, though I will tell you that near the end of this chapter we will once again go to Ivar's POV along with someone else who was shown and mentioned in earlier chapters. So to make up for the lack of size, I decided to add an interesting bit.**

 **Also, as for the reviews, thanks to KorrieChan, Valkyrie, and for reviewing last chapter!**

 **And to answer your question Valkyrie, yes, Hiccup and Astrid are a couple now. It's just that I haven't shown much Hiccstrid due to the events in the story that are happening thus far. But I assure you, it will intensify as we move on. :)**

 **Now, with that out of the way, let's begin!**

* * *

Back in the Mead Hall, the group rallied around and sat around the center table, with Hiccup on one end and with Dagur on the other. Aside that, Magnus and Eira were the only ones standing up, gazing at the conversation that began to unfold.

Hiccup cleared his throat, staring at Dagur. "I will admit, after all this time I never expected that you would return on such a shorter notice than I anticipated. It's good to see you again, Dagur."

"Well, I wasn't alone." he replied, clasping both his hands as he placed them on the table.

"...Nearly a third of the Berserker army was killed in battle that day, but I managed to rally up the majority of what remained and press on - though that's aside the fact that a dozen of them were captured by the enemy. However, you did manage to save them, as well as Heather. Thus I am in your debt, Hiccup."

The young lad lightly nodded his head. "I did what I could so that we could fight another day, along with the battles that are yet to come. There's still much work left to do, and I have questions that are left unanswered-"

"They will be answered in time, Hiccup." Magnus said as he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. "But what is more important right now is figuring out how Dagur was able to find us, and how he learnt about our success here."

"It's a long story short." replied Dagur. "When I sent my scouts out the night you took this base, they saw from afar what seemed to be two of your warriors hanging some man to a tree by a rope. They said he looked dead. But the moment your warriors left, my scouts got a closer look at the corpse, and from the description they gave I could only say that it was that bastard commander."

Astrid let out a "hm" with a curious look on her face. "So you ran into Brynjar as well?"

The Berserker Chief nodded. "I encountered him the morning after we lost the battle. It was when I was scouting out this region alone, looking for food. He marched with a small war party along one of the roads from the West, and I decided to ambush them."

"And you succeeded?" asked Heather who sat right next to him.

"Aye. Nearly all ten of them were killed. But at the last second, the cowardly Brynjar fled with two warriors at his side, and as he fled I was able to pick up on how he looked and memorize it. Afterwards I rallied back with my men, and for the time being, we waited in our camp so that we could heal. We still scouted out the region here and there, even using a horse we stole from a patrol."

"...That explains a lot." Hiccup said, speaking up.

"About what?" asked Dagur.

"Well, when Magnus, Eira, and I went to scout out the region, we came upon a small group of warriors who somehow suspected that we were here. I thought they referred to us since we also stole a horse, but it seems they were referring to you."

"Quite a strange twist." commented Eira who stood nearby.

Hiccup shrugged. "Besides that however, they were as well in a rush, but I can't be certain on the exact reason as to why they were in such haste. I can only imagine that they were alerted by then."

"It's possible." the Berserker said, crossing his arms. "Either way though, my scouts said that the two warriors who hung Brynjar looked like Hooligan Tribesmen, so we assumed that you were alive. After six days, I then ordered the Berserkers to march here by following the road that led here. It was after our ally parted ways from-"

"Ally?" Hiccup questioned, interrupting the Chieftain.

"Ah yes, I forgot to mention that part to you." Dagur replied, facepalming himself. "On the fifth day before the Berserkers and I readied for the march, we were approached by a small army of thirty dozen Vikings who stopped before our campsite."

Hiccup arched a brow, now extremely concerned. "And you immediately knew who they were?"

Dagur nodded. "Aye, but this will likely be a shocker to you because… well, the Vikings who stood before us were actually Hairy Hooligans. And your father Stoick was the one who-"

"Stoick!?"

Everyone's voices spoke up in unison upon hearing the name, as well as Hiccup's as he jumped from his seat in shock. After that, small amounts of quiet chattering filled the room.

"M- My father is alive?" he asked, stuttering in his words.

Dagur nodded his head, though without much expression. "Aye. He told me that he was searching everywhere for you, and I assure you that he is fine and well, Hiccup. But- the thing is..."

The Chieftain's eyes wandered off in the distance, sighing as he considered how to choose his next words, and in what way to put them.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked, grabbing back Dagur's attention.

"He also told me that he was on the hunt against one of the major Clans that had been chasing him after our defeat, and now _he_ was chasing them. Last time he told me that he was on the march to the Northeast with his men in haste, and that he was preparing to move against our enemy, but I don't think he'll be able to hold for long on his own."

Astrid's eyes widened as he glanced between Hiccup and Dagur. "What!? But why would he move against them alone? He could get-"

"I don't know." he replied. "All I know now is that he is moving against the Dark Eye Clan further inland to the Northeast, and this is the reason why I came to find you. If we don't help Stoick now then the entire army of the Berkian Tribe will be wiped out."

Hiccup stood from his chair as he walked over to Dagur with a serious look now on his face. "Where exactly to the Northeast did he say he'd march to?"

"I'll show you."

Dagur snapped his fingers towards one of his men as they came over with a map in hand, and quickly it was unrolled on the table in front of the Chieftain. Revealing it's contents, Hiccup could easily tell that it was a map of Norway.

"This map shows everything." he said, gazing at it. "The Shattered Shore, the Iron Mountains, the Blackwood Forest, the Arid Highlands… even Kattegat itself! Dagur, where in Midgard did you get this?"

"I got it off one of the patrols I ambushed during the time with my men. The captain who carried it seemed to have been of some valuable importance however as the men surrounding him were going all out on me. But thankfully, they stood no chance."

His finger then fell on the map as it hovered. "But this map reveals literally every stronghold that the enemy Clans hold. The Dark Eye, located in the Northern reaches of the Grey Plains. The Bloody Berserkers, located near the central portion of the Blackwood Forest. The Shattered Axe, located in the South of the Arid Highlands. And then there's the Iron Wolf, located near the base of the Iron Mountains."

After Dagur finished presenting the separate regions, something immediately grabbed Hiccup's attention as his finger then landed on a city which he had recognized.

"And obviously there is the Völsung; Ivar's Clan, located near the central part of Norway which holds the city of Kattegat… And I will admit, these names sound a bit ridiculous and edgy, but that's despite the point. What I need to know is where exactly my father will be when he reaches the Grey Plains."

"He never gave an exact location." Dagur replied, shaking his head. "But if anything, it's likely that Stoick will be on the border between these woods and the Grey Plains. The Plains in general are a hilly region, so I doubt he'd go wandering off without having first to scout it out."

"Then it seems we will have to come up with a plan of our own." Magnus said, leaning off from against the wall. "Hiccup, it's your call. How do you wish to take on the Dark Eye Clan and their Chieftain?"

For a moment the young Viking thought about it, rubbing the bristles of hair on his chin whilst gazing off in the distance so that he could gather his thoughts without having anything in the way. But an idea would soon spark onto him as he glanced back at the others.

"We can only fight them if we manage to thin their ranks out, before and during battles." he said as he walked back towards his ends of the table, still standing.

"But right now we simply don't have the numbers to take them on. We have over three hundred, but the Dark Eye has over two thousand Vikings at their command, along with two hundred warriors from the five minor Clans aiding them under their wing, making it up to three thousand. That total amount rivals the invasion force Ivar sent at us."

Heather nodded, but spoke up with assuring words. "And yet we destroyed them, outnumbered around six to one. We have Dragons. What makes you think that we will be defeated and-"

"Heather, this isn't Berk." the lad replied, shaking his head. "We won back on Berk because we knew the island better than them, and now we're going to fight in the opened field - and I myself don't even know the layout of this land. Hel, who knows if they'll have Dragons with them."

"I'm afraid he's right, sis." Dagur responded, standing from his chair as he began to pace. "Sometimes, the best way to beat the enemy is to know the enemy, and yet we only know so much… Heh, it's the same reason we won against the Murderous Tribe."

Heather sighed. "Makes sense." she replied back.

"So then, what do we do from here?" Astrid asked, with his eyes gazing at Hiccup.

"We'll just plan out a temporary strategy for the campaign that is to come against the Dark Eye. Though for me, I have other things on my mind."

Without saying another word, Hiccup stepped away from the table and chair he sat in, and shortly started making his way towards the doors with Toothless following behind. Astrid all the meanwhile however kept eyeing him, concerned for the way he was now acting.

"You guys continue on without me." he said, not looking back. "I'll be in my hut if you need me. I need to ponder about Ivar…"

…

* * *

Ivar sat at the edge of the longship he sailed on, looking out into the foggy distance whilst being guarded by a few warriors, and while being accompanied by Drago whose bull-hook was out and lowered.

The younger Viking Chieftain smirked as he sniffed the air. "Are you sure you know where we are going?"

"Indeed." Drago replied, staring off into a separate direction.

"For years my spies and allies have scouted out the Archipelago of it's islands and people. During all of this time I have learned to better understand the Dragons with the use of the Alpha that _I_ command. If you wish to control your own Dragons, you will need an Alpha of your own."

"But that would require having to break the opponent Alpha if I want it to bend to my will, would it not?" asked Ivar, turning his gaze to Drago.

"Yes, it would." he replied. "Fortunately with the aid of the Alpha I command, the time it would take for the Dragon's will to be broken will be less. Even now it swims underneath us as protection under my will, and it will do everything that I make it do."

"I see… And I will be able to control a _Bewilderbeast_ as well? Get one into my possession?"

Drago chuckled lightly, giving off a dark tone. "There are very few Alphas left in this world." he said, spinning to face Ivar.

"However, there is one Dragon that I know of. Although it is arrogant, it's fiery breath will incinerate the armies of your enemies, and its size will dwarf them like critters. It will be like a moving _mountain_. An unstoppable moving mountain."

Ivar grinned wickedly. His brows lowered as an evil giggle escaped from his mouth. "The combination of my machines of war and Dragon Will shall make the Archipelago tremble before my might, and after I am finished with them I will get revenge on the _Christians_ who drove me out and defeated me years ago. No opponent will see what is coming to them, and soon after, the Fall of Dragons will come."

His back then turned to face Drago as he once more stared into the foggy distance. "But first, I still have much work that needs to be done back in Norway. No doubt that Hiccup will attempt to mobilize his warriors and continue his failure of an invasion against me. I will see to it that the runt dies by my axe."

"You seem ambitious in your mission." said Drago as he too turned to face back towards the ocean. "Don't let that get ahead of you though. After all, there is still _so much_ to be done. But in the end, I think it will be worth it…"

An unnoticing yet suspicious smirk appeared on his face as his mind flew off. It seemed that he had other plans of his own of which he had patiently worked out over the years. Plans that not even Ivar knew about...

* * *

 **Just a quick note to those who are concerned; the Fall of Dragons likely isn't what you guys think it is. But when I reveal it later on in the story during a special event, you guys may or may not be shocked. But you'll just have to wait and see! :P**

 **Either way, thank you for reading this chapter!**


	50. From Hurt, To Comfort

**Well guys, you know what time it is. Time for some more Hiccstrid this chapter! Like the first chapter (chapter 37) where our two Vikings became a couple through comfort, this chapter will have Astrid once again comforting Hiccup - and hopefully it will make sense to you guys on why Hiccup acted the way he did near the end of the last chapter, and he will give an explanation.**

 **Aside that, I'd also like to thank KorrieChan for the review last chapter: though I will say that Dagur probably wouldn't have taken the review as lightly as I did! :P**

 **Regardless of that however, I hope you guys like this chapter. Now let's get right into it!**

* * *

The next day came like a flash for Hiccup, just like how the week had gone by for him. Yesterday he and the others were making plans on where to strike first, and now the lad found himself working in the corner of the Blacksmith with Magnus minding his own work.

However, his posture and suspicious look did not go unnoticed to the Warsung Chieftain. After all, Hiccup _was_ acting more aggressive and rushed in the things he was doing.

The older Viking sighed, laying the hammer down. "Right, what's wrong?" he asked, rotating his head to the scrawny lad.

Hiccup looked up at Magnus, but shook his head as if he tried to shrug it off. "Nothing's wrong, Magnus. I'm just being myself as usual. You know, regular old Hiccup."

"Not this time." he replied back. "You've been acting more strange, hasty, and aggressive this morning, along with the fact that you hardly showed your face after the meeting yesterday. Please, speak your mind. I won't go offensive on you."

Hiccup quickly caved in after hearing his tone, knowing that the older lad knew what was going on. He sighed as he then looked up at Magnus and began to explain to him.

"Magnus." he began. "I feel… too overwhelmed. All of this- everything that has so far happened, is making my brain go in circles. I can't control myself on who I should or shouldn't focus on. I have tried keeping up my patience and priority as you advised me to in order to help me focus, but…"

His words immediately came to a stop as he shook his head, once again letting out a sigh - though this time lighter. His eyes then focused back on the anvil he had his work on.

Magnus arched a brow. "Hiccup?" he asked the scrawny Viking.

But before he could continue on, the sound of nearby footsteps grabbed his attention along with a pair of Dragon paws hitting the dirt, and soon the wooden floor of the Smithy as Astrid came walking in with Toothless and Stormfly beside her; though the two Dragons waited outside.

"Hey Magnus." she spoke up, receiving a wave from the Warsung Chieftain.

"Greetings Astrid. I assume you are looking for Hiccup?"

She nodded. "I am. I was wondering you knew where-"

"Over here." Hiccup said, still laying his eyes on the anvil, but it wouldn't take too long for Astrid to also notice Hiccup's odd and unusual behavior.

"Hiccup, is everything alright?" she asked, hoping to get a reply from him. But he said nothing to her and still kept a stressed-like expression on his face.

"Well, he's just feeling a bit down right now - or at least that's what I can assume just by looking at him." replied Magnus as he removed his Blacksmith kilt. "He's been like that since this morning, and I am surprised that he didn't take the time to approach Toothless. I was wondering where he was."

Astrid fell her eyes onto the Chieftain. "Toothless was just playing around with Stormfly and the other Dragons." she said to him. "We were expecting him to come by this morning, but he never came. So I went out to look for him and, well, here he is."

Magnus only replied with a "hm" coming from his mouth, only to tell Astrid; "Then perhaps _you_ should speak to him alone."

"Me?" she asked, crossing her arms. "But wouldn't he be more comfortable with the both of us around? I mean, aren't you Hiccup's closest friend aside from Toothless?"

"And aren't you his girlfriend?"

The sound of his words immediately caused Astrid to somewhat widen her eyes. He did have a point after all. She and Hiccup were a couple. He was hers as she was his, and Astrid knew that if there was anyone that could help him in this case - it would be her.

She sighed, sounding a little irritated at first until she began to get along.

"Fine." she replied to him. "But I'll need to be alone. If you would please-"

"As you wish."

Magnus was quick to respond before she could finish as he bowed his head at her, making his way out of the Smithy which left Astrid alone with Hiccup who was still hammering away at a metal rod of some sorts.

Upon the older lad's departure, Astrid quickly shut the door tight before gazing back at Hiccup with a further concerned expression. She then approached him lightly, stopping on the other side of the anvil he hammered upon.

"Hiccup." she said to him calmly, only to receive no response from him.

But still she continued. Once again, Astrid spoke his name, "Hiccup." though still not expecting to get a response from him. After that however, she proceeded to go along with speaking to him.

"Look." she began. "I know that you are stressed over all that has happened, and many times you have gotten over it, but I have not seen you this stressed before. It looks to me as if something- or someone, is on your mind. If you could just talk to me and speak to me, I'd be able to help you."

She sighed. "Please, Hiccup. Tell me what's wrong."

Hiccup slowed his smithing hammering to halt, tilting his gaze upwards to look at Astrid with raised brows and tiresome bags under his eyes. He then slowly placed the tool down on the anvil and made his towards the work desk where he sat in the nearby chair.

As he lifted his head to face Astrid, he replied with a light shake of his head along with thet mix of a nod.

"Astrid." he finally said. "I feel torn apart from the inside. You are right that this is the most amount of stress that I've shown throughout this whole journey, but I just can't take it anymore..."

The shield maiden knelt down to his level. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, still keeping her light tone.

"...It's my father." he said. "The night I pondered that about Ivar and what he was doing caused the thought about my dad to quickly come up, and I began asking myself; why did he leave me?"

Astrid's eyes instantly shifted to express a small surprising reaction from her boyfriend's words. "What are you talking about? Why in the name of Thor would you think like that? Dagur specifically said that he was looking for you-"

"And yet he chose to go after the Dark Eye Clan alone with the rest of the Hooligan army." he replied, turning his eyes to look down.

"Astrid, I just feel so lonely and abandoned without him. When I mentioned to you that Dragon's Wake felt it was one Viking short, I was referring to him. I mean, just consider it: what kind of father would go after an overpowering enemy rather than to be with his family- his son. I-"

Astrid was quick to interrupt Hiccup, but not in a rude manner as her hand fell on his shoulder. She then shook her head with a small smile.

"You're missing the whole point, Hiccup." she said to him. "Stoick only wants to do what is best for you, our Tribe, and the Archipelago. He would never in a million years want to abandon you over fighting some wretch that wants to take everything over and end our lives. If he ever did, he would have never asked Dagur about you. But ask yourself this; after all that we've gone through together, would your father ever leave you, or would he fight on for you to ensure your survival?"

To Hiccup, Astrid's speech felt powerful… and by Odin was she right. Her words as a whole began to bring back memories of the events that had only taken place a mere month ago back on Berk.

He remembered how his father held him tightly in his arms when he recovered. He remembered the stories told by the denizens of Berk of when Stoick the Vast embraced his son after an honorable fight against a false foe who sought only to take the Hooligan Tribe for himself. But most of all, he remembered when Stoick first called him the name; son.

The overwhelming nostalgia made Hiccup's stomach from inside of him fill up with an emotional feeling he couldn't describe. Deep down, he knew Astrid was right as a single tear shed down his face.

To this, the blonde lass lightly grabbed ahold of Hiccup's chin and held it up, now staring at him directly in the eyes. "But know that you are not alone. Remember that you still also have Toothless, Magnus and Eira, your friends, and- well, you have me."

Hiccup smiled, wiping off the single tear. "You're right." he said. "We still have each other, and I won't ever forget that."

"And nor will I, babe." she replied back as they both stood to their feet, and without wasting a moment too soon, Hiccup and Astrid closed in on each other with a warm embrace like never before. Their lips then met, and they kissed as if they were in Valhalla...

The warmth of Astrid's arms also made Hiccup feel like his heart immediately began to heal by itself, and soon after, he felt much of his negative emotion evaporate like rain as even the slightest of smiles began to form on him.

After a few seconds passed by, the two separated their kiss, and both of their foreheads now touched one another with wide grins on the front of their faces. But the moment would cease as a familiar warble and squawk caught Hiccup's attention.

The two turned their heads towards the door of the Blacksmith, and outside was Toothless and Stormfly who watched the whole thing go down - and yet Toothless was gazing at Hiccup with a happy and relieved expression. His tail wagged like a hound, and to this the young Viking chuckled.

"Yes, bud." he chuckled as the two Vikings finally separated from one another. "It's good to see you too."

With the thought of stress now quickly deteriorating from Hiccup, Astrid quickly switched the topic seeing as it was now appropriate and of vital importance.

"I also forgot to tell you..." she said to him. "All of our warriors had been accounted for yesterday and are ready to prepare for the march against the Dark Eye Clan as you wanted. Once you give the call, we shall march to the Grey Plains whenever you are prepared... and I know that perhaps this isn't the right time to mention it, but we-"

"Then we shall march tomorrow, starting at sunrise." he replied, removing his smithing kilt before grabbing his cloak and blade, making his way out of the Smithy towards Toothless with Astrid following.

"Tell the Riders that at the crack of dawn, I want all of them to rally up for a quick meeting on where to begin the search for my father. Afterwards, we will begin the march across the Grey Plains, and we will take the fight to the enemy. Make sure to remind them that no one is to sleep in, and everyone is to get a good night's rest. Understood, milady?"

"Understood." she said grinning, mounting atop Stormfly before flying off with haste across Dragon's Wake - after all, the base was indeed extending significantly.

Hiccup smirked, gazing up at the sky with confident ideas and thoughts running through his mind.

" _No more_ running. _No more_ hiding." he said to himself, speaking up. "Tomorrow, we will continue our fight, and we shall battle out the enemy like never before. Count your days, Ivar - because they are now about to become numbered…"

...

* * *

Stoick hurled his axe into the head of the last Viking that laid on the field. By now the smoke of battle began to clear from the camp where he and Hooligan warriors stood as they were positioned on the outskirts of the woods near the Grey Plains.

That day they had once again been pulled into another skirmish as the Dark Eye Clan and their allies attacked Stoick and his warriors with a wave larger than the last one. Though they had outnumbered the enemy and won, things by then were not starting to go well.

The Chieftain of Berk let out an exhale as he sheathed his axe, turning to his captain who stood near him.

"Captain!" Stoick called out. "What's the situation? How many did we lose?"

"Well what's for certain is that this was a clear victory. The enemy has been massacred entirely!" he replied, now standing at attention to his Chief. "We've also suffered no casualties on our side, but the men are starting to look weary…"

Stoick rose a brow. "Weary?" he asked.

"Aye sir. The exhaustion from all of these battles is beginning to affect our men's morale and health. These fights are bearing us down, and we can't hold on for much longer. We have to-"

Suddenly a nearby voice interrupted the captain as a shield maiden from Stoick's side approached him, calling out "Sir!"

Stoick sighed, raising his hand up to the captain to hold him off for a moment. "What is it, warrior?"

"...Chief, I bring a status report on the camp. It isn't looking good at all." she said, giving off a worrisome look.

Stoick nodded. "Very well, then. What report do you bring?"

"Our camp has suffered quite a bit of damage from this attack." she began. "This wave has caused much more than the last as a couple dozen of our tents were burnt, and part of our spike-wall has been shattered and burned down to a crisp. At this rate, the enemy will make us waste our resources if we continue to rebuild, and we will be left with nothing if we don't put a stop to it."

The captain next to Stoick nodded in agreement. "She's right... If we don't come up with a plan soon, our people will soon meet its end, and Berk will not have a Chief to lead them. They will-"

"They will have Hiccup." he interrupted, giving a small glare at the captain. "Hiccup is the one who brought us and led us here, and he will be the one to end this war and bring us back home - one way or another. He is my son and I will never forget him for who he is."

"He is the true Heir to Berk."

"Well, I agree with you Chieftain... But are you sure that he will come?" the captain asked.

Stoick gave no reply to the warrior's question. Instead, his head and body turned to face the other direction - out towards the hilly and flat terrain of the Grey Plains. Though the distance was covered with fog, his mind and brain became somewhat lost to it as he began thinking deeply. At first, he still gave no response…

But then he spoke up.

"I am _certain_ that Hiccup will come." he answered the captain. "He has never let us down in the past. He has saved Berk from near moments of death; and he won't let us down this time either. I know deep down that he will find us…"

He then sighed, tilting his head up to face the sky. "...I know he will."


	51. The March Begins

**Apologies for the delay, guys! Unfortunately School has begun by this point, and for the past two weeks I have been very busy with it. But finally, I have been able to finish this chapter! So I hope you enjoy!**

 **I'd also like to give a thanks to KorrieChan for the review last chapter! And for ignacio vivas (Guest)... sorry man, I only understand English.**

 **Right then! Let's get back into it! (Also, the beginning of this chapter is inspired by one of my favorite movies!)**

* * *

The following foggy morning came swiftly like a freezing breeze coming down from the North which blew all throughout the base of Dragon's Wake. The sun was hidden behind the wintry cloudy sky which to Hiccup, signified that a rough cold day laid ahead of him.

The young Viking stood in the woods outside Dragon's Wake with the sun barely showing as it slowly rose. His eyes were narrowed down as he felt his mind go elsewhere. He daydreamed, imagining himself back on Berk.

...And in his mind, there he was. He saw himself walking among the tall wheats and grassy plains of Berk whilst from above, the sun shone down onto him, bright and warm.

'Berk…' he thought to himself. 'How I miss it to bits. But is this real…?'

Though as he wandered across the plains, his hand ran across each meadow of grass and wheat that came into contact with it, and he felt them dance across his palm like dozens of small feet.

From a distance, he heard the chattering and laughter of hearty Berkians as if he remembered them from weeks ago, along with Dragons peacefully flying in the air with the wind flapping up and down across their wings.

But truth be told to Hiccup - the question was; how long had it really been since he left? Nearly two months maybe? One and a half?

Soon, there was a moment of interruption as the warm breeze from the wind was replaced with a cold howling chill in the air as his eyes opened and narrowed up.

The warm colors from Hiccup's mind were instantly replaced with blues and greys as he once again let his mind come back to reality. He saw himself standing back outside Dragon's Wake.

He sighed, looking up. "Well, clearly it was not… I wish it was." he said to himself.

The sky above him was turned back to a cold grey color whilst the fog surrounding him limited his vision. Only the distant torches and braziers provided the only source of light aside from the dimmed lit sun that laid behind the clouds.

He then heard the wind howl, this time sounding lighter and more fit to the feeling of winter compared to the warm spring which he saw in his mind.

He looked around, seeing that he was still standing in the middle of the woods outside the base.

He stood there, gazing around with his cloak hung tight on his back and shoulders as the grey and brown furs attached to it blew with the wind. His brown leather tunic and armor also helped in giving more heat to the young Viking, but the cold weather was the least of his worries.

It was the battles ahead that worried him the most.

But then Hiccup remembered that he was not alone. He looked to his left and noticed Toothless standing next to him, gazing at the eighteen year old with curious eyes and a concerned expression, though he was quick to shrug off his thoughts.

Hiccup sighed, motioning the Dragon with his head to follow. "Come on, Toothless. Let's go before we-"

Before he could finish however, something from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

From a distant log, he saw a white and red bird hopping across the wooden object, glancing around at the environment that surrounded it. To Hiccup, the bird reminded him that even in the coldest and dullest of lands, there would always be even a little color.

The bird was quick to then fly off with its wings flapping fast in the wind until it got too far away for it to even be heard. Hiccup smiled as he watched it go off in the distance, taking the reminder of the bird's tints to heart before a serious expression would return onto his face.

His brows lowered as he turned into other direction, tucking his cloak around him before walking off back towards Dragon's Wake.

"Right. Come on, Toothless." he said, nudging his head. "It's about time that we get our men assembled…"

…

* * *

In Dragon's Wake, horses were lined up and given out to the men as they galloped out the gates with warriors and maidens accompanying them by foot. By now the whole camp had woken up, and just about every Viking there was preparing to move out.

Hiccup, along with Magnus and Eira, Dagur, Astrid, and the group met near the Blacksmith with warriors all around them rushing from place to place to make final preparations. Plus, the Dragons were also there.

The Smithy by that point however had emptied itself out of weapons that were to be brought along on the long march, but that was despite that point on why Hiccup had summoned them.

"Right." he began, gazing at the others. "As you know, a long and cold day lays ahead of us. My father is somewhere out there fighting the Dark Eye Clan on his own and we need to find him. If we rally together then we can gather a great enough force to repel the enemy, and maybe even get the other Tribes back on our side."

Magnus crossed his arms, arching a brow. "But that would take a lot of time out of our hands." he spoke up. "We can't hope to find the others by wandering the entirety of the Grey Plains. It would just leave us exhausted."

"That's why I've made some plans ahead of time." Hiccup responded, followed by a light chuckle.

"As you guys know, there has been an increasing amount of Terrible Terrors showing up in Dragon's Wake, so knowing that they're good when it comes to tracking - I've decided to send a flock of them out to find them. About twelve or so."

"That's impossible." replied Astrid, shaking her head. "Hiccup, those plains are vast and the Terrible Terrors aren't even Tracker Classes. How can small Dragons scale an entire region on their own? That would take days if not a few weeks."

Although Astrid in a sense was right, she was also wrong as a small smirk appeared on the front of Hiccup's face. It seemed like the young man carefully planned his decision. And, obviously in this case; he did.

"Like I said, I made plans ahead of time." he said, before pulling out a scroll from one of the pocket-satchels attached to his belt. "For days I had been testing out a new system of sorts that allows me to send out messages through small periods of time. Fishlegs also tested it out for a bit with me, and after a while, we've decided to call it…"

"Terror mail." Fishlegs finished, bowing his head.

"Terror mail, eh?" Dagur asked, rubbing his hand against his chin curiously. "Well, I guess the name seems fair enough. But I still wonder- how will the Terrors recognize friend from foe even if they do go out and find them? For all we know, they could deliver the letters straight our enemies!"

"It's simple, really." answered Fishlegs, gazing up to the sky. "The Terrible Terrors, like us, are not native to Norway or Scandinavia. They've been all around the Archipelago from the furthest reaches of the North and South - to its East and West, and to its most outer part beyond the Fogbank. If anything, they will recognize our allies and enemies like prey. I'm certain of it."

Magnus slowly nodded his head at the idea, leaning against a nearby barrel. "I think it could work… but we'll have to wait and see. For now, we must get ready to depart from Dragon's Wake. I reckon that the men are set and ready to go-"

"Wait wait wait," interrupted Ruffnut. "If we take all of our warriors with us, don't you _reckon_ that the Scandinavians will just come in and retake the base while we are away?"

Eira who stood nearby shook her head. "They do not know that Dragon's Wake is under our control, but rather they still believe that it is under _theirs._ If anything, the enemy won't bother to come unless they grow suspicious- but right now we shouldn't waste anymore time with this. We have to get going."

"Then we will waste no further time." Hiccup said, tilting his head to the Blacksmith. "You guys go and make sure our ranks are in order- I need to quickly get something before we begin our march. Oh and, make sure to bring something warm for the journey... now go."

The group nodded at Hiccup before they began to head out with their Dragons following them. All except for Toothless who was motioned by Hiccup to follow him into the Smithy.

Upon heading inside, Hiccup's eyes fell onto his work-desk as he began rummaging through of what he left on it. Mostly, it was a stack of books and parchment all grouped up together.

"Now where did I put it?" he asked himself. "It's got to be around here somewhere. I'm sure that- ah! Here it is!"

Toothless watched him with curiosity, tilting his head as he gave off a noticeable croon, questioning to himself on what exactly Hiccup was trying to bring along... especially since the Viking now had what seemed to be a large sewn out piece of red leather attached to a long metal rod of some sorts, all sheathed to his back like a weapon.

Hiccup turned back to Toothless who was still giving the same look at his Rider, but the lad just grinned.

"All set." he said as he tightened his leather grips. "Now then… are you ready for another challenge, Bud?"

…

* * *

 _ **Three hours later...**_

The snow blew lightly in their faces as they all marched along the road in formation. From behind, the Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung followed with their eyes peeled despite the cold wind blowing towards them.

From above the treeline, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins flew atop their Dragons - keeping watch of the area around them while keeping close to the others down below.

Hiccup marched at the very front of the allied forces, mounted atop Toothless with Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Heather, and Dagur on his flanks protecting him. But ever since they left Dragon's Wake, it almost seemed as if Hiccup did not need protection. Especially since Toothless was gazing around on the lookout.

Astrid, who was walking on foot with Stormfly near her, spun her head to the left towards Hiccup, giving off a questioning look.

She tucked her furred cloak around her like a blanket. "You haven't said anything ever since we left Dragon's Wake. Is there something on your mind? ...Is it Stoick?"

"It's not just my father that I am thinking about, Astrid." he said, looking around. "Right now, I am concerned about the Dark Eye Clan. So far, we have marched for three hours without end, and I don't see a single sign of the enemy. Wouldn't they have scouts this far out?"

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know. I am not as familiar with the lands of Norway as you are. You grew up here after all, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't say that. After all, I was pretty much held as a thrall in Kattegat for nearly my entire life. The only time I got to go out was when Magnus' father went hunting, and he would always give an excuse to Olaf to let me go with him - saying he needed someone to pull the cart which we would put our hunted meat in."

Astrid continued gazing at Hiccup, intrigued in the lad's story. "I see… and was hunting a pain for you as well?"

"Not at all." he replied, looking back at the shield maiden with a small grin on his face. "In fact, I actually quite liked it. Magnus' father was a great man. He was after all one who easily knew friend from foe, and prey from predator. If anything, he just wanted to bring me along so that I could experience what a normal life was like."

"And he would always be the one pulling the cart." said Magnus as he rode closer to the two Vikings from atop his horse, walking along with them. "My father, unlike Ivar or his puppet Olaf, knew mercy. Even when Ivar and the first Great Viking Army was away in Britannia-England raging war, Hiccup still was treated miserably and labeled as a slave by the rest of Kattegat."

"And yet Ivar was still King at the time?" Astrid asked, getting furtherly interested.

Magnus shook his head. "Well, he wasn't King… yet. Even though he was sixteen at the time and was the one leading the army, Ivar argued with his brothers that came along with him since he was paranoid that they'd replace him despite their respected loyalty to him, though he _was_ the youngest at the time. If anything, one of the brothers stood out to me- and I think he would have made a far greater King than Ivar."

"Hm, I didn't know Ivar had brothers. But the one you mentioned in particular… what was his name?"

"His name was Ubba Lothbrök, son of Ragnar Lothbrök." he answered, sighing at the thought. "Believe it or not, Ubba was one who knew the meaning of mercy among his own. He would always think deeply on the decisions he made, and would treat his men with respect as if they were his own kin…"

Magnus' words came to a halt as his eyes narrowed down, letting out a grunting exhale. "But Ivar was different. He would take the opportunity to raid, pillage, and kill whenever it came upon him, and he cared not for the feelings or health of his men. He is a warmonger and an immature ruler... but I'll drink to see the day when the Boy-King is removed from his precious throne."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. And as for Ivar's brothers, we don't know what happened to Ubba or the others. If anything, Ivar probably tore his brotherhood apart. All we know is that he came back from England alone, and he announced his "valiant defeat." After all, Ivar didn't just invade Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria for conquest."

"I see…" mumbled Astrid, rubbing her chin. "So then what did he want? Was there a bigger purpose to all of this?"

"The meaning behind the invasion was to also avenge his father Ragnar who was killed by the hands of the English-Saxon King; King Ælla." said Magnus. "At the Battle of York, the young Viking captured the cowardly pig and ordered to have the most gruesome of all Viking executions be performed on Ælla. You've seen me do it before on Mildew, remember?"

The young lass gulped at the thought of it as a shiver went down her spine. "The Blood Eagle."

"Aye. But even after Ælla's death, it wasn't long before Ivar decided to-"

Before Magnus could finish, the sudden sound of boots hitting the ground from up ahead caught his attention as him and other warriors around him began to become suspicious.

"Wait… are we not alone?" asked Eira.

But they would figure out soon enough as a voice bellowed from the sky. Snotlout began yelling down to them loudly, with his tone and voice giving off an alerting expression.

"There are figures moving quickly up ahead!" he shouted, peering in the distance. "They're- they're Dark Eye colors! THEY'RE COMING OUR WAY!"

Hiccup's eyes widened with near panic, realizing that the Dark Eye Clan had now someway somehow found them... or perhaps that they had found them. "EVERYONE, TO ME!" he shouted. "IT IS TIME TO PREPARE FOR A FIGHT!"

The march immediately came to halt with chatters among the ranks, and every warrior and maiden down the line unsheathed their weapons and shields, running into position to guard Hiccup's flanks as even the Riders from the air were forced to come down.

Snotlout and Hookfang were quick to land at the front of the line on Hiccup's left, with the Nightmare lighting himself aflame like a large bonfire.

Hiccup's eyes gazed towards him. "How many are there, Snotlout?"

"At least a couple hundred or so, maybe more! They've must have heard us from afar, Hiccup. They just came out of nowhere. We may have to-"

"THERE THEY ARE!" a voice called out from up ahead.

From the distance, the Vikings of the Dark Eye Clan along with a couple of minor Tribes ran into view of the group, and upon a closer look they were able to see how many exactly they were dealing with. But Hiccup by that point was ready for a fight.

The lad dismounted from Toothless, unsheathing his sword and lighting it aflame.

"SHIELD WALL!" he called out.

From his flanks and his behind, the Viking warriors held their shields outwards as a sturdy wall of wood was quickly made since by then, the Dark Eye Vikings were already quickening their pace.

Up ahead, they too began to make their battle line with swordsmen, axemen, archers, and spearmen sprinting into formation - with the spearmen at the front of the ranks - all centering around their war captain who had his polearm out and pointed.

"Oh Thor." Hiccup sighed. "This position seems all too familiar. But here we go again."

Without wasting a single word or moment, the captain swept his polearm down vertically, roaring out "ÁKÆRA! (CHARGE)", and the Dark Eye warriors immediately ran forward with their weapons raised and out.

Hiccup raised his weapon up, ready to brace for impact from the enemy as they made their charge towards him. But even as they were prepared for the enemy, something happened that he nor the enemy was expecting.

From the woods, a large tree immediately came crashing down in the middle of the wide dirt-path, separating the Dark Eye Vikings from their opponent and causing heavy confusion among them.

The captain gritted his teeth as he looked around, swinging his polearm out of frustration. "What is this foolishness!?" he barked, glancing from left to right. "Show yourself! Or else I'll _force_ you to come out, you cowardly son of a-!"

His words _instantly_ came to a stop as an axe came hurling out of nowhere, and into the Viking's head as if he was nothing but a practice-dummy, for not even his helmet protected him.

He fell to the ground, now lifeless with blood bleeding out of his wound - causing immediate and utter panic among the Dark Eye ranks.

"What's going on here!?" one of them called out.

An answer would be given. This time, an arrow came flying out, once again from the woods, and it would impact directly into the man's neck, causing him to fall down in pain as the air and life in him slowly left him.

All of the Dark Eye warriors fell their eyes upon the two corpses that now laid at their feet, and immediately another arrow would soon follow - getting another direct hit before multitudes of arrows would begin firing from both sides of the dirt road.

One of them spoke up in horror as they attempted to defend themselves, "What is going on here!? What is this trickery-!?", but would quickly be shot down along with those that were being impaled by the volleys of arrows.

By that point, Hiccup saw the opportunity become opened to him, and he tilted his look to Toothless, nudging his head to the side.

"Plasma blast, Toothless!"

The Dragon inhaled a quick mouthful of air, and with a thrust of his head a speeding ball of purple flames flew out and hit a cluster of Dark Eye warriors, setting them aflame, and by that point - they were on the run as their numbers were simply annihilated.

But their escape would not prove to be as simple.

"WARSUNG, PURSUE THEM!"

A voice rose up from the woods as multitudes of Vikings came rushing out with their axes, spears, bows, and swords in-hand. They lashed out at the fleeing Dark Eye warriors of whom were trying to escape, lobbing out their weapons, slicing with their swords, shooting with their arrows, and hacking with their axes. Before Hiccup or the others knew it, no one from the enemy warband remained. It was a battle over before it even begun.

As the large force of Vikings rallied up, Hiccup stared at the hundreds of warriors and maidens that now stood before him at attention. He knew just by simply looking at their colors that they were Warsung Vikings, which could have only meant one thing.

"Magnus." he said in shock, sheathing his weapon. "I think we may have found the _rest_ of the Warsung warriors. The rest of your Tribe!"

"Quite the opposite way around, actually!" a familiar voice replied from the distance. "We were the ones who actually found you, and were it not for us, you would have likely suffered numerable losses."

A blonde-haired figure from the center of the Warsung force stepped forth. Both axes were gripped in his hands with his face slightly dirty from past battles, and the armor he wore - the blue tunic, brown gambeson, and leather leggings and boots were all too familiar to Hiccup. Especially to Magnus who smirked from atop his horse.

"We have traveled these woods far and wide- looking for you, Chieftain." the young man said. "And yet by the Gods, after all of these days of searching, we finally managed to find you! ...I hope you aren't too shocked, Magnus."

The Warsung Chief shook his head with a chuckle. "Not at all, old friend!" he said with a smile. "It is an honor to have you once again by my side, Sigurd."

Magnus dismounted from his horse, approaching Sigurd with his hand out as the two young men both exchanged handshakes that led into a brotherly hug, giving off grinned expressions.

"It's good to see you again too, Magnus." said Sigurd as the two of them both separated, though his expression then changed back into a serious manner. "Unfortunately right now however, there are more important things at hand. Despite the days I spent searching for you, I now bring urgent news that you'll want to hear."

"If you have news to bring, you'll want to tell Hiccup." His hand motioned towards the young lad as he stepped forward, willing to hear out the older Viking.

"What news do you bring, then?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"We've found out where your father Stoick and the rest of the Hooligan Tribe are hiding out." he began. The tone in his voice sounded grim. "Now, that may not sound bad, but things may have gotten from bad to worse for your Tribe's situation."

"Worse?" Hiccup questioned, dropping his arms to his sides. "Tell me everything you know, Sigurd."

"Your father and the rest of the Berkian army is on the brink of desolation, Hiccup. The Dark Eye Clan has been harassing them for days on end, and so far their strategy is working. They have been tiring Stoick and his warriors out, and so far their casualties are very, very few. But if something isn't done now soon then it will get worse, and we may possibly lose nearly the entire Tribe."

Sigurd's words deeply affected Hiccup. The grip on his sheathed blade tightened eversomore as his brows lowered in anger. "Those bastards will get what is coming to them." he swore in a deep voice that sounded different than to what he usually sounded like. "Where are they based?"

Sigurd pointed into the distance down the path. "On the border of these woods to the East, near the Grey Plains where the Dark Eye Clan are based. But we better hurry. I am afraid we don't have long."


	52. A Fight Before The Storm

**This chapter is a long one, and you know what that means! Battle time! This chapter will mostly revolve around the battle that takes place, and near the end of it there will be a moment of calm in the storm. But I hope you guys like this one!**

 **Also, a quick and good old thanks to KorrieChan for the review from last chapter!**

 **Now then, onwards with our story!**

* * *

It didn't take long until Hiccup went from walking to running. He and the rest of the group, along with the army, ran along the long-distant road that led to the East as Sigurd pointed out, but even after an hour of running - many began to have their doubts on if Stoick was even alive or not.

After all, the journey so far to the Grey Plains was long. However, Hiccup still had high hopes.

"How far are we from my dad?"

"We're almost there." Sigurd replied, still running ahead of the young Viking. "Hopefully when we get there, Stoick is not engaged in battle. If so, then we may be too late to-"

Hiccup shook his head with a grunt. "I highly doubt we're late to reach him! He's titled the Vast for a reason, and he would not easily go down without a fight."

Astrid sighed. "That may be so, but do we even know if they're still able to stand and fight? For all we know, they could be-"

"As I said, I highly doubt we're too late dammit!" Hiccup interrupted, now glaring. "The more we ramble on, the more time we're wasting! Deep down I know he is not dead!"

Magnus spoke up, closing in onto Hiccup from atop his horse. "We'll find out soon enough. For all we know, they could still be fighting. I have seen how long Hooligans stand for after all, and I doubt they'd be dead by now. Don't give into your own doubts, Hiccup. They are alive, and I am sure of it!"

With a light nudge, Magnus then made his steed move faster and gallop forward, making it increase it's pace along the path with the rest of the horse riders from behind following along as he shouted:

"Cavalry, double-speed on me! Move!"

The sound of horse-shoes hitting the ground sounded like a wave of thunder riding along the clouds as they rode past Hiccup with haste, thus causing him to get into gear and sprint faster, which in turn, also increased the army's pace.

However, it would not be long until the horses up ahead would halt to a total stop as the warriors atop them gazed off in the distance, almost as if something caught their attention.

But it was obvious that something did catch their attention.

As Hiccup slowed to a halt, he raised his hand up, causing those behind him to also stop. They looked at him, slightly questioning and wondering what exactly was going on.

"Hiccup, what's the matter?" asked Snotlout as he dismounted from Hookfang.

"I… think I see something. There in the distance!" he pointed out, squinting his eyes. "Is that… smoke rising up ahead?"

The curiosity of the young Viking caused him to run ahead without warning, sprinting with speed towards Magnus and the horsemen despite being low on breath and air.

Astrid ran along from behind. "Wait up, Hiccup!" she called out, with Toothless and the rest of the group accompanying her along with their Dragons.

Upon reaching Hiccup however, they saw that he and Magnus were just staring out in the distance with their eyes widened, and their hands fell to the hilts of their weapons upon seeing what was up ahead.

It was clear by now that they were in an opening and clearing of the woods, and that the forest seemed to lessen. Because of that, it was all too obvious on where they were, and where Sigurd had taken them.

Because before them, far off in the distance, they spotted the colors of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe with their banners raised, but not in the way Hiccup had anticipated them to be in.

He saw from afar his father and the Tribe fighting with all they had left in them against the enemy. The two sides were clashing with one another, with the Hooligans firing mostly arrows at them to hold them off. All the while, Stoick stood there with a few dozen men at his side - fighting off the enemy.

"Dad…" he said, grunting as his blade immediately lit up from unsheathing it.

Magnus looked back at him. "Hiccup, I hope you have a plan in mind, because right now we- HICCUP!"

It was too late. The young Viking stormed forward with his blade out, and they all watched as Hiccup charged out into the field alone. However, the distance between him and his father was great, and Toothless just stood there and watched Hiccup rush forward.

...But the Dragon was soon tempted to follow, so he too charged ahead with his friend and master.

Magnus grunted, raised his fist and lightly slamming it down against his hip. It seemed by then, there was no choice but to follow.

"Magnus, what do we do?" Astrid asked, looking up at him.

"We follow." he replied, unsheathing his sword.

Fishlegs widened his eyes. "What?"

At first there was no response to the Chieftain's order, but Dagur unsheathed both of his axes in agreement as he took a step forward with the Berserkers that were now at his side. "He's right." he said. "After all, what choice do we have by now? I was looking forward to a fight either way! BERSERKERS, FORM UP!"

The Berserker warriors immediately responded to the order, separating themselves from the main force as they lined up near their allies with Dagur at the front. They were pumped up, ready to do battle.

"Well then... you heard the two men!" Snotlout called out, unsheathing his sword before waving it forward. "Let's show these Scandinavians what true Vikings are made of! Now follow your leader! LET'S GO!"

Snotlout was the next to rush forward with his Dragon Hookfang following along, and soon cheers and roars filled the air around him. From the Riders, from Magnus and Eira, from Dagur, and from Sigurd along with the whole army as they ran forward. All of their weapons were unsheathed, and a massive charge had now begun.

And it would not be too long until they caught up with Hiccup who was still running the great distance to his father.

Meanwhile from Stoick's position, the mighty Chieftain stood with his axe in hand as his cloak blew in the wind. On both of his flanks a shield wall was formed whilst his archers from behind let loose arrows upon the enemy. Every strike that Stoick and his men did however was just one further step into pushing the Dark Eye and their allies back.

And the Chieftain did not take the situation as a joke.

He struck hard and swiftly at the enemy, impaling the blade of his axe into the exposed flesh of any foe that got in his way. He relied more on his versatility, along with the use of his strength in order to make his blows clean. But even with a few dozen warriors at his side, it proved to have little effect against the three hundred or so Vikings that charged them.

The Hooligan Chieftain then looked to his sides as he struck, and his voice rose up as he tried boasting his men onwards.

"FIGHT ON, LADS AND LASSES!" he bellowed loudly as his axe landed into the chest of a Dark Eye warrior. "THEY WILL NOT WIN TODAY! PUSH THEM BACK!"

The volleys of arrows from behind soon began to intensify along with the sturdiness of the shield wall that guarded him and his allies. They all took one step forward with a loud "HOO!" as they bashed the enemy back with their shields, all before they struck out in a single attack which successfully took out nearly two dozen Dark Eye Vikings.

But despite the effort, the crazed Vikings still pushed against the Hairy Hooligans, as if they had nothing else to live for aside the spoils and sport of war.

Stoick grunted with a sigh. "I have spent more than three days fighting, without a single hour of sleep… I am getting SICK OF THIS!"

Enough was enough for the mighty Chieftain. With a powerful swing of his axe, he sent the opponent in front of him flying back a couple of feet - almost as if the earth itself shook.

Then, with a thrusting leap he jumped into the enemy ranks and began fighting through them with heavy and swift attacks, like a blade cutting through butter.

Seeing this, the Hooligans were inspired to fight on despite the light snow and cold winds that blew against their faces. The shield wall immediately dispersed as the warriors and maidens pressed forth with their weapons raised, bringing it down on their opponents.

Even the archers from behind found the adrenaline and influence to fight on in the center of combat. Almost instantaneously they laid down their bows and unsheathed their weapons, charging the Dark Eye Vikings and their allies with all they had.

Their blades, spears, and axes hit them like a wave of fire- and as they joined the bloody fight, both sides soon began to spread out all over the battlefield like they did back on the beach near Skyrdok.

But this time, Stoick's allies would not lose. Not again. Not ever...

...And then, they heard it. A horn from the distance was blown and sounded, followed by an explosion of purple Dragon fire which successfully hit the back of the enemy ranks.

Stoick's eyes shifted to his right towards the woods, and from the distance he saw hope.

Hiccup sprinted with Toothless, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, and the others at his side. All of them, along with their Dragons, followed from behind in a massive charge with the Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung warriors at his back. Combined together with Stoick's men, they outnumbered the enemy three to one.

The young Viking's voice then spoke up as he bellowed; "TO THE CHIEF!"

In response, all eyes from the battle fell upon Hiccup, including the enemy's as their hearts began to pump faster with small feelings of panic growing in them. At that moment, they realized that perhaps defeat was a certainty.

As Hiccup continued sprinting, the Dragons were still putting pressure on the enemy with their fiery blasts, and as they got closer and closer to Stoick, the Viking waved his fiery sword around in circles before pointing towards Magnus, and then towards the rear of the foe's ranks.

"FLANK!" he shouted.

Magnus nodded as he gave his horse a heavier kick, causing it to ride faster before calling out to the horse riders behind him.

"RIDE TO THE RIGHT!" the Warsung Chieftain called out, shifting his steed to the right away from the main group with the rest of them still following behind him.

The Dark Eye, realizing that they were exposed - attempted to form up on the rear to stop the cavalry charge…

But it was too late.

Magnus and those following smashed into the rear of the enemy, and from Hiccup's position - he too was about to do the same.

The young Viking raised the Dragon's Blade up into the air, ready to bring it down as his friends and allies from behind roared with might battle-cries that was nearly as loud as thunder itself.

And then, they clashed.

Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, the Twins, Heather, Dagur, Sigurd, and Eira all leaped up into the air at the enemy with their weapons gripped, and with a heavy impact they broke through their lines as all around them, their allies followed through and pounded the Scandinavian Vikings like a tide of steel.

But for Hiccup however, his mind was more concerned on reaching his father more than anything. With Toothless at his side, the Night Fury's fiery attacks and speed aided in getting through any foe that got in his way. But for a moment, it felt like the weight from his weapon had left him, and that the speed in his movement was faster than lightning.

Everything felt easeful to him as he sliced through the enemy. He blocked, parried, and countered every attack from every Viking that got in his way. And to him, it seemed almost as if he would reach his father in no time…

That was of course until he felt something hard hit his chest, as if it was the long hilt of a greataxe striking him as fell down to the ground on his back.

As he fell however, Toothless was quick to help pull up the scrawny Viking with the front of his head, getting him to stand back up and straight onto his feet.

Just as he was about to thank the Dragon, a loud and menacing cackle interrupted him which caused both of them to tilt their heads to the source of it, and in front of them, in the clearing of the fight, stood a large Viking.

The man wore nothing but a pair of plate shoulder pads along with a helmet - with only his black beard being apparent. Along with that he wore brown leather pants and boots with fur on the trim of it, but had no chestguard or tunic, and in his hand he held a sharp greataxe - covered with a few stains of blood and dirt from battle.

To Hiccup, he could only assume that it was a commander. But not just a regular commander - rather a Scandinavian berserker.

The man give a glaring smile. "You have come too late, Haddock!" he said, spinning the hilt of his axe in-hand. "You may think that you've won this fight, but once Chieftain Frode Darkeye hears of what happened here, he will come for you!"

"Not unless I kill you first." Hiccup spat back as they both circled around each other - ready to strike out. After all, it was just the both of them along with Toothless. "After I deal with _your_ Chieftain, I will then deal with the others, and then I will kill Ivar and end this war that you and your leaders created."

The Viking commander once again chuckled, still pacing in a circle. "If only it were that easy, runt. King Ivar is out of your reach, and when he returns, he will bring fire and ash upon your Tribes, and then he will bring it to your pitiful Archipelago!"

Hiccup arched a brow. "What do you mean? Does anything you say even make sense?"

The man scoffed. "Gah, what would I have expected from an unintellectual Viking such as yourself… if you want me to say it in easier words then I'll tell you; Ivar is not here. He has left Norway!"

Hiccup shook his head in confusion. "What? What do you mean he is not here? What purpose would he have of leaving his lands as a whole?"

"That is for me to know, and for you to never find out..."

After the moment passed with the two of them circling each other, the commander stopped in place and slowly shifted into battle position.

"...FALL TO MY STEEL!"

The berserking commander roared as he rushed Hiccup with a mighty charge, raising his axe up into the air in an attempt to swing it down onto the scrawny Viking. But Hiccup was more agile due to his size, and easily he was able dodge the man's attacks, moving to the right as Toothless moved to the left. But the flurry of slices and dices would not end there.

The commander was quick to recover as he swung his axe to the right where Hiccup moved to dodge, and his next strike nearly got Hiccup - were it not for the weight of the axe that got him off balance.

Seeing the opportunity, the young lad then struck quickly at the Viking, stabbing him in the left arm near his bicep which in turn should have inflicted the man with heavy pain…

But the man only grinned, snarling at Hiccup's attempted strike. "You call that an _attack?_ Have you forgotten who YOU ARE UP AGAINST!? I AM A BERSERKER!"

The man roared, spinning his axe in a rather large arc which surprisingly managed to once again knock Hiccup onto his back, and in the process of doing so, slicing a rather long scratch across his chest armor.

Hiccup placed his hand onto his chest. Although he was not injured or wounded, his tunic was definitely exposed - and as he looked up he saw the towering figure of the Viking berserker slowly walking towards him, carrying his greataxe in only one hand.

He attempted to back up, but a sudden and severe infliction of pain- almost like a large bruise, began to course throughout his entire upper body, and it became hard for him to breathe as the Viking commander pressed his foot down onto Hiccup's chest.

He then attempted to lift the man's foot up off from his chest with both of his hands, but it proved to be useless. His scrawny arms barely nudged his boot up.

"Oh I'm sorry, does it hurt?" he asked, chuckling as he gripped his greataxe with both of his hands, preparing to bring it down onto Hiccup. "I am afraid your time has run out. Any last words before I finish you off, runt!?"

Before he could make a move however, a sudden roar bellowed from nearby as Toothless came sprinting towards the man with haste, and with a mighty tail swing - he knocked the commander back off of Hiccup, sending him hurling down with a hard impact.

Upon hitting the ground, the Viking quickly attempted to recover as he lifted himself up using his elbows, but he would quickly be pinned down by Toothless who was at that point in a frenzy.

"Grah! Let ME GO!" he shouted, struggling to free himself from the Dragon's grasp. But no matter what he did, he could not free himself as the Night Fury's strength simple overwhelmed him.

Hiccup however was short to get back onto his feet, wiping himself off as he noticed the scratch in his armor - though he only responded to it with a mere scoff.

He then picked up his flaming blade from off the ground, proceeding to walk towards the pinned down Viking berserker who stilled struggled to free himself from the Dragon's weight, but upon seeing Hiccup approaching he began to panic.

The scrawny Viking sighed as he towered over the commander. "It's surprising that one such as yourself would be afraid of a scrawny lad like me... But I guess it's you who will meet their end today." he said in a low baritone-like voice. "And I say; to Helheim with you!"

The commander grunted. "Wh- What do you mean-!?"

A loud piercing sound of steel was quick to cut him off of his words as he felt burning metal impale down into his chest.

Hiccup stabbed the man directly into his heart, and not even after a second passed he lifted the Dragon's Blade out of the berserker's chest and stabbed him again.

Then he stabbed him again, and again, and again until his chest was covered with half a dozen stab wounds, and the man laid there lifeless while he bled out slowly.

Hiccup sighed, standing to his feet and nodding at Toothless who warbled back at the Viking as he tilted his head towards the distant Grey Plains.

The lad arched his brow, but spun around to face the other direction, and in the distance he saw a dozen or so Dark Eye Vikings fleeing in a chain route, filled with panic as they did not take a chance to look back as they ran.

All around him, the combined forces of the Hooligan, Berserker, and Warsung Tribes cheered in victory as they witnessed the enemy flee. For a moment, it almost felt as if the storm was put to a halt.

Stoick from afar smirked in astonishment at the combined effort they put in on driving back the Dark Eye, and he gave a nod to his nearby warriors.

"Let them run away." he said, crossing his arms. "Frode Darkeye will execute them if they go back, but even they are too weak in strength to continue giving support to their Chieftain. Soon we will-"

"Dad!"

A familiar voice from the cheering ranks immediately caught Stoick's attention as his eyes tilted into the direction from where it came from, and there before him, the face of a hopeful sight came into view along with his Night Fury.

Hiccup ran to his father with excitement filled up in him, and before he knew it, he found himself once more in his father's arms…

…

* * *

Evening came upon them.

The smoke from battle cleared away from around the camp as Hiccup and the others settled around a fire, with Stoick sitting next to his son. The weary men all the meanwhile were put to rest in their tents, and the other warriors feasted together around fires, exhausted and starving after the long-going conflict and journey.

Stoick looked at Hiccup. "By Odin's beard, I never thought that you would have been the one to come to our aid at the last moment. And yet, here you are - still kicking like the true Viking you are!"

"We marched for nearly half the day to find you, Dad." he replied, whilst sipping from his mug of yak milk. The taste was to his disliking, but there was nothing else. "Were it not for Sigurd here, we would have never been able to, and the Tribe of Berk likely would have died out."

"Aye… but you are here now, and that's all that matters." the Chieftain chuckled, holding a leg of chicken meat in his hand.

"...Though I will say; despite this cold evening, this moment still reminds me of the time of when your mother and I were together as family. We sat around the fire and talked about the fairy tales of old. How Odin made the nine worlds. How the first man and woman came to be. How life was created… It was a night of storytelling, and songs."

Sigurd let out a light hearty giggle. "Reminds me of my father and my brothers. We also used to hear stories from him around the fire within our longhouse in Kattegat. Those were the golden days, but now they are gone."

"And your mother?" asked Snotlout who sat across from him.

"...She hated me." he replied, his expression turning a bit grim. "She used to care only for my younger brother, and no one else. She never took me serious, and she never looked upon me with pity if I ever got into a situation that would hurt me… Though who knows where she is now."

Magnus arched brow, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

Sigurd sighed. "She's dead." he stated. "She died from an illness years ago after my father passed away, and since then, things have been better. Or well- they could have been better."

A moment of silence followed among the group as they stared at the fire, down at their feet, or off in the distance. It was almost as if none of them felt a single bit of remorse for Sigurd's mother who shunned him all of his life.

And it would be proven to be so as Eira spoke up.

"I hope she has gone to Helheim then." she said, tracing lines in the dirt with her dagger. "No mother who has helped raised their children to become warriors should ever treat any of them like they are not there. Not a single son or daughter. After all, even my own father and mother loved me before they died."

"Your parents are gone as well?" asked Astrid who sat near her. "Why did they die? Or more specifically, how did they die? It seems like everyone who is a part of the Warsung has no family left aside from each other."

"There were still land disputes going on between the Tribes and Clans of Scandinavia." Magnus replied, stating his answer as just. "The Vikings wanted more territorial expanse for their groups, and although not everyone was a Viking at the time - a huge majority of the population _was_ made up of Vikings. They fought and killed each other whilst also plundering villages, raiding towns, sacking farms… killing innocents..."

His words immediately fell short on the thought, but he allowed his mind to recall the first Great Heathen Army. "That was until the first Great Army, made up of several thousand Vikings, invaded Britannia and attempted to conquer. However, that's a story we have already covered. For now, I say we focus on our current situation."

"Indeed... Allow me to brief the situation." Stoick replied as he cleared his throat.

"...So as you all know, the Dark Eye has today received a brutal blow. We've destroyed a large majority of their force, counting the days I fought them here, and now they are more than a thousand warriors short. But their Chieftain still has the rest of his allied Tribes at his side, and who knows if they'll strike out again soon? If anything, we will need to strike them first before they rally all they have onto us."

"But we will need to do it in a manner that will surprise the enemy." responded Hiccup, catching the glance of his father who arched one of his brows.

"You planned this out before you even came here?" he asked him.

Hiccup nodded. "Aye. And I assure you that this strategy will turn things heavily into our favor. We just need to fight in a manner that even the Dark Eye won't expect us to fight in."

Stoick once more gave a questioning look at his son's words. "What do you mean by that? What really is your plan?"

"Well Dad, the Dark Eye will expect us to fight in a certain style that they would usually fight in; either in a shield wall formation or in one location only across the field. But instead of doing that, I think we should fight in a manner that they will not expect us to fight in."

"And your point being?" asked Tuffnut, running his hand up and down the hilt of his sword. "I just want to fight them already!"

"Then hear me out first." the scrawny lad sighed. "My plan being is that we should expand the battlefield across the Grey Plains- for many miles. We should use the environment as our advantage- use the woods, hills, valleys, highlands; you name it. If this works then we can pick them out one by one and lower their numbers until they balance out with ours."

"...And if this works, it is a good plan. If not, it is a bad plan."

Astrid smirked, nodding her head in agreement. "Well, that's obvious. But where exactly will we fight them?"

"That I still have yet to think about. And besides, I still need to fix this scratch in my armor." he answered, taking another sip from his mug. "But tomorrow is when we will end the Dark Eye and their Chieftain. Tomorrow will be a day that Ivar will never forget..."

…

* * *

Frode slammed the base of his staff against the wooden floor of his Hall, glaring at the two captains that were kneeling before him.

"Are you telling me, that more than A THIRD OF MY ARMY HAS BEEN WIPED OUT!?" he shouted, making the two men flinch.

"We were outnumbered at the very last moment, Chieftain!" one of them said, stuttering. "We fought the Hooligan warriors and their Chieftain for days, but they refused to falter before us. We could not even get a single kill off of them! And when their reinforcements arrived, we were pushed back entirely. Our casualties were too high!"

"Not even a single kill? Pathetic!" scoffed Frode. "But more importantly however, why did _you_ two fools convince your commander to send out our forces in WAVES!? With one massive assault you would have wiped out the Hooligans from the face of the earth!"

"We thought we could weaken them through waves, Chieftain. And it seemed to have been working!" the other captain spoke, speaking as if he was begging for mercy. "Please Chieftain, forgive us for our failure!"

There was a moment of silence as Frode glared at the two captains with intimidation, whilst also showing off a questioning look to both men. Did he really hear what he thought he just heard?

"...Forgive you?" he asked, taking a step forward. "You want mercy for your failure?"

Soon, a loud laughter filled the Great Hall, emanating from the Chieftain which at first sounded hearty. But then, it took a turn for the worst as he cackled and began giving out an evil tone.

He spat in their faces. "You will earn NONE! My commander has been slaughtered, and a third of my army is dead! The only mercy you will find is in your death!"

Both pairs of eyes widened at their Chieftain in terror as they were unable to say anything, so much as let anything out from their mouths.

Frode's eyes then fell upon his nearby elite Jomsviking guards as he nudged his head towards the two horrified men. "Take them outside for execution in front of the whole army! Take off their limbs first, and then cut off their heads. They are no longer of use to me."

The four Jomsvikings nodded as they stormed towards the two captains, grabbing ahold of them before they started dragging them out of the Hall, with their screams of terror being among the only noises to fill up the large room.

"And spread the order that tomorrow, we march against the Hooligan Tribe and their allies!" he spoke up, sitting back down in his throne. "Tomorrow, we will paint these plains red with their blood, and show them what it means to be Viking! ...BEGIN PREPARATIONS!"

* * *

 **I hope you guys are somewhat hyped for what is coming next, because I sure am excited to continue writing!**


	53. Moving Into Action

**I would like to say before starting that this chapter was created with inspiration. If any of you have ever seen Vikings, you will know that there is a battle that takes places between the Saxons and Vikings in a hilly region, and this gave me an idea of how to set up this chapter and the next one after - just in my own way. But I really hope you guys enjoy this one!**

 **Now then, without further ado, let's begin!**

* * *

The cold winds of the afternoon day blew against the Dragon Riders' faces as they marched alongside Hiccup with their Dragons across the Grey Plains. The morning had been swift, but the battle ahead was likely going to be long.

Shields laid gripped against hundreds of restless arms. Swords clinged and clanged against their sheaths, and the sound of nine hundred pairs of feet stomped across the hilly and frozen fields.

All the meanwhile, dozens of eyes remained peeled for anything to be sighted. Stoick's squinted, glancing around the area and keeping his weapon gripped tightly, ready to strike if he spotted anything suspicious.

However, his eyes then fell over to Hiccup, raising a brow. "Are you sure it was a good idea to leave our horses behind back at camp?"

"I'm sure." he nodded back to him. "It's all part of the plan to trap the Dark Eye and get them where we want them. Soon enough this battle will be over before you even know it."

"Then let's hope we make it worth our while." commented Snotlout from nearby. "We're walking ourselves into the heart of a major Clan's territory, and who knows what we will be facing once we meet the Dark Eye and their Chieftain. Even Hookfang here is a bit tense."

The young Jorgenson looked up at his Dragon with a worrisome look. "He's been acting more strangely ever since our defeat near Skyrsdok. I guess he is just worried that we might lose again."

"But we won't." Magnus responded in quick words. "We've readied ourselves for this moment for days now, and we have sat idle in Dragon's Wake for more than a week. Once we are done with this, we will be one step closer to beating Ivar."

"Yeah! And then afterwards, we can celebrate with yak-chops!" spoke up Ruffnut, catching the attention of the whole group who gave questioning looks.

"Yak-chops?" asked Fishlegs. "Sounds like a weird name for a food. Are you sure you're alright, Ruffnut?"

She shrugged. "Ehh, I was just thinking about it. Do you guys have a problem with it?"

The group responded with a shake of their heads as a series of 'no's followed. Clearly they had no problem, but at the same time they were simply not interested. Especially Astrid who just responded with a sigh.

"This surely does bring back memories of the good old days." she said, eyeing the others. "And yet it also reminds me of how we once were, like those days when we went hunting. I mean, you remember that Heather, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about it." she chuckled, shaking her head.

Hiccup looked at the two maidens with interest. "You guys hunted in the wild together?"

"Well, it was not just me and Astrid." said Heather, looking back at Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins. "Pretty much all of us use to hunt together. We would run through the forests during the early spring with bows and arrows in hand along with bolas. We mostly hunted for boars and wolves, and every year the stocks would just keep getting better and better."

Dagur from behind gave off an amusing whistle. "And I will say, those years _were_ the good years, if not the best. Even after the Dragon raids ended did the alliance and connection between our two Tribes grow ever closer. And despite the mess we are going through, I still think both of our Tribes are stronger than ever."

Stoick looked over to the Berserker. "That may be so." he agreed. "But after this war ends, I still think things will get better for the Archipelago as a whole. We still have to clean up the mess that Ivar made and-"

His words immediately cut out. He raised his hand as his head spun and turned in all directions. Something was definitely on the rise ahead, and he could hear it coming towards them.

Hiccup was quick to notice his father's expression, and immediately he held his hand up - causing the whole army behind him to slow to a stop as they now stood at the top of a hill.

He stared at his father. Curious. "What is it, Dad?"

Stoick replied with a deep voice. "They are close. I can hear their war drums bellowing up ahead from here… I believe we have found our foe."

The young lad immediately took note of his father's discovery as he looked back at the rest of the group who stared back at Hiccup with concerned looks in their faces.

"Looks like both us and the enemy have made our way to each other." he said as he gripped the hilt of his sheathed blade. "I hope you guys remember the plan, because now it's time to take it into effect. Dad, Dagur, Magnus - you guys know what to do, right?"

"Aye." they responded in unison with the sound of the drums coming closer and closer.

Then, there was a pause among the ranks. No one said a single word or made a noise. They all looked around as the drums were no longer the only thing they heard, but also the sound of thousands of boots stomping and marching against the fields.

The enemy was definitely near.

Hiccup then gazed at the bottom of the hill, and before his very eyes he spotted multitudes of distant dark figures coming into view.

Upon noticing this, he nudged his father's arm to catch his attention, and soon everyone's gaze, even the Dragon's, was directed towards the approaching Vikings from afar.

From behind a slope, the Dark Eye Clan and their allies marched into view, showing off their numbers before making a quick effort to form their ranks and get into position. It was quite clear to Hiccup that they were outnumbered.

Astrid took a few steps forward until she was right next to Hiccup, staring down at the many Vikings that now stood before them.

Her eyes slightly widened. "That's a lot of Vikings. Especially from just a few Tribes and one Clan."

"Aye." nodded Hiccup, crossing his arms. "I reckon that there's at least two thousand of them down there, counting the Tribes aiding them. Let's just hope for the best however that this plan works."

"It will." Magnus assured him, unsheathing his sword while sounding confident. "Either way, they are about to receive the beating of their life."

But as the Dark Eye and their allies finished forming up, something caught the attention of Hiccup and the gang which forced their feet down to the ground, clenching in anger.

From the distance, the Dark Eye Chieftain Frode came into view from atop a black horse with his sword in hand, and as he rode forward - the men around him immediately made way for him.

Eventually, the Dark Eye Chieftain stopped at the very front of his ranks, and his eyes glared up at Hiccup who gazed down back at him. The two of them exchanged angered looks with both of their weapons gripped in hand.

It was obvious that both of them were ready for a fight. And a fight is what they wanted.

Frode grinned with an evil smirk. "Hiccup Haddock!" he called out. "I've wait a long time for this moment to come, and now here we are face to face! ...Now do me a favor, and make the first move! Get down here and battle me like a real Viking!"

But despite the Dark Eye Chieftain's demands, Hiccup had other plans in mind.

The young Haddock looked to his right and left, at his father, and at his friends who all gave him a nod - showing that they were prepared.

Hiccup raised his hand up into the air, and swirled it around which caused the horn to be sounded. Not to charge, but to turn around on the Dark Eye as the whole army began sprinting in the other direction.

However, this move brought confusion among the enemy and Frode himself. 'What was going on?' he wondered.

The Dark Eye Chief scoffed. "Cowards! You would dare turn your backs on us and flee!? If you won't begin this battle, then I will!"

But Hiccup gave no response and kept running. As he and the rest of the group along with their allies and Dragons ran out of sight from the enemy, Frode rose his sword up for all to see before pointing it towards the top of the hill, ordering his whole force to move forward.

"RUSH THEM!" he shouted, galloping his horse forward with his warriors following up from behind.

Though upon making it to the top of the hill, further confusion just swept over him and his men as they looked around in all directions for sight of Hiccup and his force.

They were no longer in sight. Just like that, they were gone.

A voice from nearby spoke up. "Where are they Chieftain?" a lone warrior asked.

"Weren't we on their tails?" another questioned, curious.

Frode grunted. "They could not have simply disappeared like that! Even if their Dragons flew up into the air, we would have seen them take off from the bottom of the hill! They couldn't have just-"

"Chieftain!" a voice suddenly called out, immediately grabbing his attention as a shield maiden from nearby pointed towards the distance where Hiccup and the others ran.

From afar, Magnus, Eira, and Sigurd came into view with their weapons drawn, along with the entirety of the Warsung by them. Surprisingly, they were all alone, which furtherly caused the Chieftain to question their method.

"What are they trying to do here?" he asked himself, only to watch as the three Vikings and their Tribe turn tail once again and run in the opposite direction, towards the nearby woods which though were small, gave great cover.

Again he grunted, and without warning he immediately ordered his horse forward, spinning his sword to prepare for a fight once he caught up with them. But to his shock, the Warsung Vikings were faster, and there was no way that his men could catch up with them.

Though after all, he _was_ the only one on a horse.

As the Warsung Vikings disappeared into the woods, Frode stopped to a halt, slamming his fist against his hip in frustration and looking back at his men with a glare on his face.

He spat on the ground, gritting his teeth. "Is this the best any of you can do!?" he shouted. "You're all running around like children while our enemy is making us look like their play-toys! Are you not Odin's warriors!?"

The Dark Eye ranks only looked at each other with uncertainty. In the past, they were eager to followed Frode wherever he went since his visions would always depict him on the winning side, but now they were being fooled around with.

Perhaps his visions were no longer right?

They didn't know, and nor did the Chieftain care about their thoughts.

It was then however that Frode noticed movement to his left. In the distance, Dagur and Heather along with the Berserkers stood firm, staring down the Dark Eye with taunting looks as if they viewed the whole situation thus far as a joke.

This as a result would furtherly infuriate the Chieftain. He looked back at his men and swung his sword forward, ordering them to once again move straight ahead.

"FORWARD!" he called out, hastening his horse towards the Berserkers as his men continued following from behind.

At first, it seemed like they were going to engage the Berserkers since Dagur and Heather did not make a move. They just stood there, watching as Frode rushed towards them with his army at his back.

But then, at the last possible and safest moment, the two Vikings and their Tribe turned around. But instead of heading into the woods which laid near them, they took a whole different direction, turning around and rushing into the hills away from the enemy.

Now they had fallen for it.

From nearby, Hiccup stood with a bow in his hand as he remained beneath the cover of the trees which he and his allies stood under, and after a moment of patience, the Dark Eye finally came into his sights.

Immediately he plucked an arrow from the ground, and with a firm grip he pulled it back before letting it loose onto the unexpecting Vikings.

As the first arrow came flying towards them, it managed to hit one of the warriors in the chest, and before they knew it - a swarm of arrows were hurling out of the woods and onto them.

Unknown to Frode - Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins along with Stoick set up their forces in the woods, all armed to the teeth with bows and arrows. Their arrows flew true as they and the Hooligans kept firing what they had upon their foe.

In a matter of moments, nearly two hundred Dark Eye Vikings laid dead from the surprise attack, but the Chieftain was quick to get the men together.

"SHIELD WALL!" he called out, urging his men to defend themselves as the arrows kept flying at them, still killing more and more of them.

Eventually they were able to form a shield wall, but that did not stop the attack.

From the woods, the glow of a purple light emanated as a plasma blast came shooting out at the ranks, taking out a dozen or so men before four more fiery Dragon blasts went flying out at them, taking out dozens more.

After what felt like a long moment of sitting there and taking a heavy beating, the volleys of arrows that came out of the woods soon stopped firing along with the Dragons' blasts, but it would leave the men confused and tensed up.

Frode looked around, sweating from riding all over the region with his men who, by this point, were now exhausted.

He squinted his eyes to look into the woods, but he saw nothing. He began to feel as if the gods were punishing him for whatever reason, but unknown to his knowledge, Hiccup had already ran out of there with the Berkian Tribe behind him.

The Chieftain sighed in exhaustion, along with a combination of frustration. He turned his horse around, calling out "Recover!" to his men as they stood back onto their feet and began backing with caution away from the woods and back into the opening.

But the risk of being out in the open had increased since their casualties were high in number - counting up to nearly four hundred. At that rate, they could be easily picked out.

Despite the risk however, Frode once more ordered a halt as his eyes laid upon a familiar figure that stood across from him, and in the distance there stood Hiccup, with Toothless and the others by his side - also giving off tauntful grins.

Hiccup waved at the angered Chieftain, chuckling at the thought of the situation.

The Chieftain growled, now more furious than ever. "I will not be fooled, or TOYED AROUND WITH LIKE A DOG, ANY LONGER!"

He then turned his attention out into the blue, shaking his head at the thought of his Clan's numbers… and then Ivar. "If that boy had not called back a thousand of my men to Kattegat, this battle would have been easily won by now! ...Why he would get rid of a fourth of my Clan to join his is beyond me."

But despite the thought, Frode was still not willing to back down.

He turned to his bodyguards. "You said those fools have a camp out there with all of their supplies stored there, correct?"

One of them nodded. "Aye Chieftain. They even have horses stabled there. Dozens of them."

The Chieftain smirk, lowering his brows. "And which way leads to their camp?"

The bodyguard pointed his finger out, aimed towards the Southeast where the Tribes came marching up from, and almost instantly - the smirk on the Dark Eye's face turned into a wide evil grin.

"Then that is where we shall be going." he said, laughing lightly. "And if we reach their camp first, and take their horses, then victory will turn in our favor! But we must be quick! NOW GO!"

Immediately the Chieftain slapped the side of his horse, causing it to gallop forward as his warriors began following him, sprinting with all they could muster until most of the army was out of sight.

From afar, Hiccup watched this unfold with the others who had shocked looks on their faces along with widened eyes. They did not know what was about to go down, but Hiccup knew exactly what was about to happen.

Astrid arched one of her brows, gazing at the Dark Eye Vikings who started running out of sight. "What are they doing? ...Where in Thor's name are they going?"

Hiccup smirked, staring at Astrid. "I imagine that they are going to our camp. And you know what that means."

The shield maiden's eyes, upon further realization, nearly widened to the most that they could get to. Her surprised expression was the most obvious among the group.

"The horses." she said to herself. "They want to steal our horses… But on the way there they will be-"

Her words immediately failed her as her jaw dropped. She couldn't speak. Only laugh with a heavy breath as she stared back at Hiccup, smiling.

"You scrawny lad!" she laughed, running to his side before giving him a hug around his waist from behind. "You were right! I can't believe it- you were right about this all along!"

Hiccup giggled, nodding his head. "Hey, when am I ever not right? All I can say is that when they are where we want them to be, Magnus is going to give them a Hel of a surprise."

…

* * *

An hour or so passed as Frode and his Dark Eye warriors ran across the Grey Plains to the Southeast, but now the terrain was getting more hilly and foggy. Along with that, they were now gong along a road heading into a small valley.

The valley-path they ran along was wide and vast. On both sides they were surrounded by nothing but hills which towered many feet or so above them, but the area itself was unnerving. It was too quiet. Almost as if something, or someone, was waiting for them…

And before the Chieftain knew it, an arrow came shooting down at them from above - hitting one of the warriors in the head directly which caused immediate panic and confusion among the ranks.

"Ambush!" one of them called out in terror, but Frode was eager to stand and fight.

"HOLD!" he shouted, looking up to his right.

Suddenly, volleys of arrows began pummeling down onto them from both sides, and upon looking towards the hills they were able to see dozens of Warsung figures now in plain sight, armed with bows shooting down at them.

Magnus had been waiting for them, and he had been patient.

It was then that out of nowhere, the sound of roars and battle-cries filled the air as Warsung Vikings came running out of the blue, all led by Magnus, Eira, and Sigurd who had their weapons drawn and ready.

Then Hiccup showed himself, carrying his flame-lit blade as his father and friends along with the Dragons and Berkian Vikings followed him from behind, all letting out bellowing war-cries to pump themselves up.

Finally, the Berserkers followed up with Dagur and Heather at the front, leading the way for the mighty Vikings who were by this point put into a frenzy. But now they had something to unleash their bloodlust upon.

From the other side of the valley at the end of the path, the three Tribes ran across to each other, and the Dark Eye Chieftain watched as they formed a long but thick battle line, blocking their path off and leaving them trapped in the valley that the two armies were now about to go head-to-head in.

Hiccup stood at the front of the ranks with his feet spread apart, giving off a taunting smirk to Frode in satisfaction. He first glanced at Toothless, giving a nodded before looking over to his friends who stood on his left and right flanks.

He then spoke up, shouting out "MAKE READY!"

The Archipelago Vikings in response took a step forward, gripping their shields outwards to form a shield wall with their weapons raised up, ready to strike out at the enemy.

From there, one action led to another, and before they knew it - the Dark Eye Chief rose his voice up, and bellowed one word out to all of his men:

"ATTACK!"


	54. The Clouds Burst

**Quite alot for this chapter, if I do say so myself! It took quite a bit of thinking for me onto how I'd want to play out this chapter, but after a bit of timr I have finally been able to write it out!**

 **Please note that the start of this chapter begins on Berk as a side-setting, as in it tells us what is going on back on Berk, but for the most-part this chapter will be a battle chapter which will continue from where we left off.**

 **Anyways though. I hope I did not bore you too much, so let's move onto the next chapter!**

* * *

The skies darkened with clouds around Berk as the occasional sound of thunder boomed over the island and the ocean surrounding it. The winds blew with cold-sweeped chills, and it was clear that times were uneasy.

But it was hard to say the same for Gothi as she sat in her hut, shaking in her chair as if she was shivering whilst her arms gripped to her staff. Her eyes showed exhaustion and concern. But most of all…

They showed fear.

The base of her staff kept moving in circles, drawing shapes and figures in the sandy dirt that laid near her. Over and over she kept repeating the same mysterious pattern, and it was almost as if she had seen a nightmare.

Whilst this was going on however, the sound of a pair of steps coming up the ramp soon became noticeable, but that was beyond the Elder's concerns. What she did know however was that Gobber came into view with a look of curiosity on his face.

He stared at Gothi with both his brows raised. "Gothi, are ya alright?"

The Elder only responded with a shake of her head, before slamming the base of her staff down into the sand next to her. Gobber likely assumed that it was to get his attention.

Upon looking down, his eyes widened with a shocked and surprised look, slowly translating out loud what Gothi wrote, but he only managed to pick up four words.

" _I see only… death."_ he read aloud, and he did it for the first time without mistake. He then looked back at the Elder. "Gothi, wha' do ya mean by only death? Have yer visions shown ye something? ...What did ya see?"

Gothi responded by clearing the dirt of anything she wrote before she once again started to write with her staff. Gobber then stared down at the reply she gave, and read aloud what she wrote.

" _I saw... a great fire."_ he translated. _"A fire tha' no ordinary Dragon could ever light aflame. Tha fire of a monster with wings tha' flap with tha winds of storms, and a roar tha' booms with tha sound o' thunder."_

Gobber arched one of his brows after reading it, but Gothi again continued writing on from what she wrote, completing her terrorizing description.

The Viking read aloud once more. _"But before it… there's a shadow commandin' it. He, who nearly brought doom upon us all, would now bring us somethin' far worse... He brings death. Red death."_

"He?" Gobber asked, lowering his brows with a confused expression. "Who's this _he,_ Gothi?"

Only one name came to Gothi's mind as she immediately wrote it down, and upon reading it, Gobber's eyes expressed the realization, knowing now what was coming their way and who it was coming from.

But most of all, he knew who it was going for first.

"I- ...Tha council must be called for an' assembled immediately!" he stuttered, nearly losing his words. "Hiccup must be warned!"

…

* * *

Hiccup glared across the field as the enemy charged him from afar. Their weapons were raised, and their shields were lifted, ready to clash with the lad and his forces.

But even as the Dark Eye ran towards the young Viking and his allies, their numbers still kept being plucked by the dozens with every volley shot from Magnus' archers on the hills, and their army slowly weakened.

Eventually, the Dark Eye numbers dwindled down to equal the Tribes' numbers, and Hiccup knew then that both he and the enemy were now evenly matched.

He looked to his left and right - towards his friends, his father, and the Dragons, before glaring back at Frode with a ferocious and pumped up look on his face.

His voice then rose up, shouting out one word.

"CHARGE!"

Hiccup was the first to run forward with his friends and Toothless by his side. The Vikings behind him replied with a large "HOO!" in unison before their voices turned into hundreds of roars and battle-cries as they followed Hiccup into battle with a massive charge.

The two sides glanced at each other with anger and pissed looks, giving off the occasional taunt of a growl and guttural scream at one another until finally, both sides clashed.

Upon reaching the enemy ranks, Hiccup sliced his flaming blade downwards at the opponent he faced with all of his might and strength, instantly toppling them as he broke through their lines.

His friends and the Dragons did the same thing as well with their attacks, resulting in a very large gap in the first row which allowed the Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung to easily break through along with them.

The ranks on both sides did disperse however, and thus the fighting happened all over the valley-pass.

From there, the battle officially began.

As Hiccup battled the enemy, he fought alongside Toothless and the other Riders as one group in an attempt to get the most damage done to the Dark Eye Clan and their allies.

The scrawny Viking, despite his weak arms, focused more on using his strength and speed as a result of the frenzy that he built up from waiting for the fight. With both of these traits, Hiccup was able to attack in nearly all directions without being caught off-guard. He would slam and slice down his blade at an opponent and their defense, pinning them down and getting them off balanced before attacking from another side, killing them with a clean strike.

One by one, without keeping count, Hiccup struck out at his foes like they were not even real opponents, but rather practice dummies, and to this he somewhat chuckled.

However, that was despite the point since the situation had quickly started to turn. But it was not for the best.

He glanced around, looking towards his friends and the Dragons as they slowly but surely began to close in facing back-to-back. On all sides, the enemy started to surround them.

Astrid, whilst fighting with Stormfly, looked back at Hiccup with a serious look as she too began to notice the change.

"Hiccup, we can't hold this for much longer!" she called out as she chopped her axe into the chest of a Dark Eye warrior. "They're going to surround us if we continue like this! We need to get out of this!"

"I'll think of something!" he replied back, still focusing back on the battle.

But before he knew it, a series of roars and shouting caught his attention which from his left flank, and from a distance he saw a small group of a dozen Vikings quickly rushing him with their weapons raised.

Hiccup's eyes widened in shock at the surprise attack, and immediately his eyes fell on Toothless who stood near him in a combat-ready position.

He gave a sharp whistle to the Black Dragon, catching his attention as he pointed towards the charging ranks of Dark Eye Vikings.

"PLASMA BLAST, BUD!"

The Night Fury quickly obliged to his command, firing forth a blast of purple fire towards the charging warriors, and upon landing the fiery blow, every single one of them fell to the ground in flames as they burnt to death.

Hiccup nodded his head in approval, giving off a smirk. "Thanks, Bud!" he called out before his attention fell back onto the others of whom he fought with.

He slightly tilted his head to the side, glancing his eyes towards the Dragon Riders of whom he now faced back-to-back with.

"Right, we are not going to get anywhere with this." he said as he sliced the Dragon's Blade across the stomach of an oncoming Viking. "If we're to clear our way out of this, we'll need to attack the whole army head-on without letting them attack _us."_

Ruffnut sighed with grunt. "And how are we supposed to do that!? Hellooo, we are surrounded!"

"Not entirely!" Hiccup replied back. "Why do you think we have flying Dragons for a reason?"

A small moment of silence among the group followed, but then, Snotlout laughed out in amusement and astonishment at Hiccup's response. Immediately he knew what the Viking was trying to propose, and immediately he agreed with it.

"It would have been better if we did this at the start of the battle… but you know what; I am so in! Let's do this!"

He then gave out a sharp whistle to Hookfang, calling him closer to his side as he mounted atop the Monstrous Nightmare.

"Fly Hookfang! Let's set this army ablaze!"

The Dragon gave out a bellowing roar, setting part of his body aflame in intimidation before ascending up into the air with Snotlout on his back and saddle, and what followed was a rain of fire falling from the sky onto the enemy.

But even the Twins and Fishlegs were eager to go along with him.

"You know what." said Ruffnut. "If we're to defeat these fellas today, we will do it with style! Come brother, let's give them a lil' taste of Barf and Belch!"

Tuffnut chuckled in laughter. "Haha! Thought you wouldn't ask, sister!"

And just like that, the Twins were off into the air from atop their Dragon - with Fishlegs being quick to follow as the three airborne Dragon Riders along with Snotlout were quick to clear the area around Hiccup and Astrid.

Now it was just the two of them being the only Riders on the ground alongside their Dragons. But with their friends up in the sky, they were unbreakable.

But it was then however that Hiccup saw an opening, and he knew that it was their chance to move since from afar - he saw Frode, the Dark Eye Chieftain, fighting from atop his horse.

He glanced at Astrid, motioning to her to follow. "This is our only chance! Let's take down their Chieftain and make a quick end of this battle!"

The shield maiden nodded, proceeding to follow Hiccup through the fight with Toothless and Stormfly accompanying them as they blasted and fought their way through rank upon rank of Scandinavian Vikings until eventually, they made their way into a clearing where they could fight Frode.

The two of them stopped in their tracks, and from a short distance, they saw the enemy Chieftain swinging his blade from atop his black steed, cutting down any Hooligan, Berserker, or Warsung warriors that got in his way.

Hiccup gritted his teeth, watching in anger as the Chieftain rode closer to him. "It'll take more than his blunt blade to take us all out. Toothless, dismount him!"

The Night Fury once again lit up his mouth with flames, shooting out a plasma blast in front of the ongoing Chieftain and his black horse.

The Viking felt the shockwave of the Dragon's blast launch him off his horse, rendering him mountless as a result and leaving him without his steed as he watched it ride off in fright.

Frode growled in anger, standing to face Hiccup and Astrid who both had their blades out, pointing towards him.

"DAMN YOU!" he shouted. "I should have known that you would do something as stupid as this to slowly weaken my army! You have hindered my forces down as if they were parchment, and now you render me without my war steed!"

Frode's brows lowered more than ever, pointing his sword back at the two young Vikings as the three of them began to pace in a circle. The Chief was clearly done with keeping his temper, and now all he could think about was killing Hiccup.

"I will proudly present your head to King Ivar when I am through with you." he growled. "Then, I will take the broken bodies of your friends, and make a bonfire bigger than-"

"Shut up and fight already you whiny bastard!" Astrid interrupted, spinning her sword in a taunting manner.

Frode arched a brow, raising his sword up to his side with both hands. "Hm. Eager to fight I see? Very well then. Let's see who will come out on top! ODYN GUIDE MY STRIKES!"

The one eyed Chieftain began as he charged mainly for Hiccup, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly as he tried clashing with him, but Astrid was quick to intervene as both of the young Vikings blocked Frode's first attack, placing themselves in a weapon-lock which overpowered the enemy Chieftain.

"Push him back, Astrid! Together!"

In unison, the both of them heaved their weapons forward onto Frode's sword, pushing him back and off of Hiccup, though the Chieftain was quick to recover as he was hastily back on his feet, still locking his eyes on both of the Vikings.

"So, that's how you want to play then!?" he growled, spinning his sword in circles. "Then what say we even the odds?"

From around his waist, Frode pulled out a rallying horn, and with a sudden blow he sounded the horn - calling his men for aid which in turn alerted Toothless and Stormfly.

The two Dragons spun to face behind them, and from afar they saw mobs of Vikings rushing towards their location, all armed with weapons in both their hands.

Upon noticing this, both Hiccup and Astrid immediately gave the motion to Toothless and Stormfly to have them hold them off, and the two Dragons were off without delay, blasting their way through any enemy they came in contact with.

"Sorry." Hiccup said, smirking. "But this fight is going to go out fair and square! And we _will_ win it out!"

Frode made a pissed-off expression, watching as both Toothless and Stormfly blasted away his men from the distance.

He then swung his sword in an arc, stomping his way towards Hiccup. "So be it, then. Prepare to die!"

The Chieftain once again engaged the two young Vikings, giving all he had at Hiccup and Astrid as he swung his blade quickly and precisely at both of them. To make the fight 'even' for himself, Frode lashed out at either of them to get them off balanced, or to damage them significantly before moving on to the other.

But they were just too even for him however, as even without their Dragons, they could still match up with the Viking Chieftain.

To counter Frode's attacks, they both focused on dodging and parrying his strikes before they in turn struck out at where he was most vulnerable. Astrid would use her sword with quick skill to slice across his limbs whenever she parried an attack, and if the opportunity presented itself, she would roll around him using her acrobatics, before attacking him from behind.

As for Hiccup, his strategy was different. Rather than relying more on his strength and speed as he did when the battle started, he relied more on his precision as Frode did in an attempt to even up the fight, and counter his attacks.

He focused on dodging and blocking the Chieftain's attacks in an attempt to leave him opened to strike. With every successful counter, Hiccup would make Frode go off-balance before slicing his weapon out towards the man's chest, mostly near the shoulders and ribs, and the attacks for the most part were effective since the Dragon's Blade provided Hiccup a huge advantage - with it's flames and steel cutting through Frode's armor.

However, despite all the effort, the Dark Eye Chief eventually had enough of it.

He pulled back, making his way to a safer position as he stood his ground panting. He looked all over his body, noticing the various bloody cuts Hiccup and Astrid afflicted onto him, and evermore did his glare get broader.

"I've had enough of this damn cowardly brawl!" he shouted, pointing his sword at Hiccup. "If I can't defeat you by myself…"

His blade then made its way pointing towards Astrid. "Then I'll have to get rid of her."

The shield maiden widened her eyes in shock. "Wait, what-!?"

And before she even saw it coming, she felt the sudden slash of the Chieftain's blade slice across her ankle, and instantly she fell to the ground - screaming in pain whilst holding onto the wound as blood slowly bled out of it. Along with that, she could not stand to her feet.

"Gods… DAMMIT!" she grunted, holding in her pain.

Hiccup gasped with shock and worry for Astrid, glancing at the wound that now rendered her almost useless, and immediately he felt an urge to rush to her side in an attempt to help her up, but he knew that it would just slow him down and allow Frode to get away.

He did however rush in front of Astrid to protect her, and then his eyes turned onto Frode with a dark glare. His face now filled with the look of anger and hate.

Frode laughed at Hiccup, making a tauntful posture. "Looks like you weren't quick enough, Haddock! What a shame to see your loved one cry in the muddy dirt as she bleeds out of a simple cut."

"A simple cut...? Now you REALLY want a piece of me, don't you?" he asked, now gripping the hilt of his fiery sword with both hands tightly. "If that is the case... THEN I'LL GIVE YOU SOME!"

The young Viking rushed forward with his arms raised above his head, and as he engaged Frode, he gave it all he had onto the Chieftain.

Hiccup swung with brutal speed and force onto the man, no longer focusing much on his precision now that he was in another frenzy.

But still, he would block and counter any attack that the Viking made, and he would strike back with attacks that were more painful and searing than the last ones he inflicted. His fiery blade struck true, and to his surprise, _he_ struck more true than he could have imagined.

With four lucky moves, Hiccup managed to stab Frode below both shoulders, near one of his kidneys, and near the right side of his chest which resulted in the Dark Eye Chieftain to take a step back in pain from the grievous wounds he received.

At first, Hiccup thought he had done it since it appeared as if Frode was about to fall to his knees in defeat. After all, the many wounds that both he and Astrid made hindered him down to almost nothing.

...Or so he thought.

Frode suddenly rose up, straightening out his back as he responded quickly and efficiently with a direct punch to Hiccup's diaphragm - along with another punch to his face, sending him falling down on his back with his breath knocked out of him.

Hiccup gasped, breathless with his sword hurled out of his hand. He stared in fear as Frode approached him slowly with intimidation, carrying his blade with a tight grip until the tip of it found its way to Hiccup's neck, ready to stab through him and finish him.

Frode placed a foot on Hiccup's right hand, crushing it with heavy force as the young man screamed in pain.

"Looks like you were wrong." he said in a hushed tone. "I win."

The Dark Eye Chieftain slowly raised his blade up, levitating it over Hiccup's neck as he prepared to decapitate him with a clean cut. In his mind, Frode thought that the day had belonged to him, and that today, he would be the one to crush Ivar's greatest threat.

From behind, Astrid had witnessed Hiccup falling before Frode's efficient blow, and she gazed towards the scrawny Viking with worry and terror in her eyes as the Chieftain was ready to finish him off.

But then, something snapped in her. Hate suddenly beamed in her eyes, and the pain to her surprise began to subside. It seemed as if her adrenaline was beginning to rush faster, and the mixture of her emotions gave her the courage to bolster what strength she had left to stand.

Slowly but surely, she stood to her feet with her blade now in hand, and as Frode was ready to chop Hiccup's head off, she rushed towards him.

"NO!" she screamed, raising her weapon up upon closing in, and with a mighty slice towards Frode's wrist, Astrid chopped off his right hand, hurling it across the field with his blade still gripped ahold of it.

The Dark Eye Chieftain, upon seeing his hand get cut off, screamed in terror, taking a few steps back before falling to his knees at the gruesome and bloody sight of his handless wrist. And before he knew it, he felt as if he was about to pass out.

His skin began to go pale, and he was bleeding out slowly from not just the blow that Astrid made, but from all of the wounds that were inflicted onto him from all across his body.

His head dangled down, unable to look up… and then he suddenly felt it.

Astrid stabbed her blade directly through Frode's heart, causing him to moan in pain as she twisted and turned the sharp sword around in circles, making him groan louder.

She then knelt down to his level, pulling out the sword and whispering; "Any last words before you leave for Helheim?"

The man gasped, mustering up all the air he could get before replying weakly; "Ivar… I have… failed you…"

And with that, the life quickly drained out from his body as he fell to the ground face first.

Frode, the Dark Eye Chieftain, was dead.

Astrid upon seeing his corpse sighed in relief before turning her attention upon Hiccup, and she helped him up to his feet. Although they both limped, they could at least still stand.

"Are you alright?" she asked, receiving a nod in response from him.

"Aye, I'm alright." he groaned. "But what about the battle? Are we winning?"

The two of them glanced around, gazing at the situation of the fight. But it seemed that by that point, the battle was now in their total favor as their foes one by one began to retreat.

Although they were able to count up a few of their dead with a mere glance, Hiccup and Astrid knew that there were more dead on the opposite side, especially since they were able to spot Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins still on their Dragons - burning the enemy to a crisp.

But then, the sound of cheering took over as a series of familiar horns blew from behind, and almost instantly, every single Scandinavian Viking that was still fighting began to run for their lives towards the opposite direction in terror.

Hiccup arched a brow in concern. What was going on? Why was the enemy already running with their tails turned?

The answer would be given to him as he spun his head around in the opposite direction, and from afar he saw the colors of multiple Tribes come into view.

But they were not any ordinary Tribes.

The Outcasts, the Meatheads, the Bog Burglars, the Thunderheads, the Northlanders, the Dragon Hunters, and the Defenders of the Wing; they all finally managed to rally back together to continue the fight along with the Hooligans, Berserkers, and Warsung Tribes.

And from above, it looked like a tidal wave of Vikings.

At the front of the massive line of Vikings pouring through, Alvin, Eret, Bertha, Mogadon, Mala, Arngrim, and Snorre charged alongside their forces, cutting down any fleeing opponent they spotted until there was no one left.

Soon, the remaining few Dark Eye Vikings along with their allies had fled from the sight of the two thousand Archipelago Vikings and into the Grey Plains in the low dozens, battered and wounded as the Tribes all cheered in unison at the sight of the defeated and fleeing Vikings.

Hiccup smiled with a returned look of hope on his face, for he too cheered in relief, knowing that a great blow had been dealt today, and it would be one that Ivar would never recover from.

They were one major step ever closer to beating him.

From above, the Dragon Riders flew down towards the two Vikings with distant cheers, landing next to them as they met Hiccup and Astrid with firm hugs and pats on the shoulders.

"We did it guys!" Tuffnut chuckled. "We actually defeated those suckers!"

Snotlout nodded with a smirk. "Aye, and if it weren't for Hiccup, we wouldn't have been able to win this! Honestly, just well done!"

"What we did today was for the best." replied Hiccup, resting a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "Today, Ivar has lost one of his major Chieftains and Clans, leaving only three of them to go. If we keep this up, we may be able to win this war faster than we could have thought. We could-"

"HICCUP!"

A familiar voice rose up from afar as it suddenly alarmed Hiccup, and from the distance, he noticed Toothless and Stormfly running with Magnus and Sigurd alongside them. But as they came closer, Hiccup noticed Magnus holding someone in his hands.

But it was not just anyone...

Eira laid in Magnus' arms, groaning in pain from the arrow that managed to find its way to the right side of her upper chest, near her shoulder, and slowly she bled from the somewhat deeply pierced wound.

The Riders upon seeing this gasped in worry as Magnus laid her down on the ground and snapped the arrow in two whilst he figured out what to do.

Tears ran down his face. "I was fighting back-to-back with her and Sigurd." he stuttered. "But as we were about to push, a volley of arrows came flying down onto us! I- I tried to take cover and protect Eira… but she was grievously hit! ...I did not know what to do about the arrow so I came looking for you…"

"Then you came just in time." he said as he picked up his fiery sword from of the ground. "Fishlegs, you're the expert here. What do we do?"

"We'll have to return to Dragon's Wake to remove the arrow, and we'll have to get there fast. We don't have the tools we need to remove it gently without inflicting further pain onto her, and we cannot remove the arrow here. I can assure you Magnus that she will be fine, just as long as we get this arrow out safely without her bleeding out to death."

Magnus nodded, sighing with a light sob. "I must fly her there, but I can't do it atop Toothless. He is flightless without his tailfin."

"Take my Dragon." Astrid said, whistling over Stormfly. "She is the second fastest Dragon we have with us, and she can get you to Dragon's Wake in an hour."

"Then it's settled." responded Hiccup. "But you can't ride there alone. Fishlegs, Snotlout, I want you two to accompany them to Dragon's Wake. Make sure they arrive safely, understand?"

The two Vikings nodded to Hiccup's command, and soon enough, the two of them along with Magnus were off to Dragon's Wake, with Eira safely in their hands.

Hiccup sighed as he watched them fly off into the distance. Although Eira was wounded and needed to be tended, he and the others still knew that the conflict was not over yet.

"Although this is not over, I hope we can end it as soon as possible." he said, sheathing his blade back into his hilt. "I still have to consider who we will go for next. Until then, we must rest up. Today belongs to us, but the days ahead will be dark…"

* * *

 **Just so you guys know, Eira will survive! I just wanted to pump you guys up for this chapter! :P**

 **But indeed, as Hiccup said, the days ahead will indeed be dark... but that is for another time.**


	55. Turning Tides

**For this chapter I have once again decided to have the point of view switch between our main protagonist and the main antagonist of the story. In this case it is Hiccup and Ivar. The first half of the chapter will be Hiccup's P.O.V. whilst the second part will be Ivar's - and although it isn't as long as the first half, I assure you it will in a way be more interesting!**

 **Now then, that's about all I have to say. Let's move on into our story!**

* * *

The sun beamed lightly from behind the clouds over Dragon's Wake, whilst from all around, everyone was hard at work. Dragon's Wake was at the point where it was considered more of a large village rather than just a mere camp now, thus everything was now more busy.

By now it had been a few days passed ever since the Archipelago Tribes reunited once again behind one banner, and under Hiccup's leadership they were able to destroy the remains of the Dark Eye Clan, and even sack and burn their capital village.

And although Hiccup and his friends had managed to deal a mighty blow to the Great Heathen Army, it still did not mean that the enemy was defeated, and nor the war was over.

Plus, there were other matters at hand.

From within the Mead Hall, Hiccup, Stoick, Magnus, Dagur, and the other Chieftains of all the Tribes sat around the long-table in the center of the large longhouse, discussing their next course of action.

The only exception for anyone else being there however was Sigurd, who stood guard next to Magnus and kept silence as he watched the others discuss.

At first, there was a large commotion of conversation between the Chieftains, discussing on who should have Ivar's head, on who should get the most amount of gold when they're done, on what Clan they should go for next…

The list went on.

However, the discussions among the Chieftains would immediately turn to silence as Hiccup, who sat at the end of the longtable, slammed his hand hard against it, causing all attention to fall onto him.

"Can we begin now?" he asked, with the sound of irritation emanating from his voice, and one by one the Chieftains fell silent.

Hiccup sighed, clearing his throat. "Right... So as you all know, the Dark Eye Clan - one of Ivar's main Clans under his command, has been totally dismantled by us. His Great Army has received a grievous blow, and the Dark Eye Chieftain lies dead thanks to Astrid. However, this does not mean we're done yet, because now is time that we make our next move."

"I say we go directly for the heart of the Great Heathen Army!" shouted Snorre, raising his fist. "Hiccup and his allies managed to defeat the Dark Eye in the opened fields outnumbered two to one, so what difference does it make if we challenge the whole army?"

"Are you an idiot? The difference is that we'll be fighting more than before if we challenge the whole army, Snorre!" Bertha called out, shaking her head. "Even with the aid of Dragons, we can't possibly hope to take them all on at once! Don't you remember what happened at the Battle of Skyrsdok?"

"Aye, she 'as a point!" Alvin nodded in agreement. "We can't 'ope ta take 'em all on at once wifout gettin' our behinds 'anded ta us. If anythin', tha best course o' action will be te fight another Clan an' their allied Tribes."

"And that is exactly what we are going to do." the young lad stated, once again grabbing everyone's attention. "We're still sticking with the plan of attacking one Clan before moving on to the next, if our luck _continues_ giving us the chance of doing so - but that is despite the point. Right now, I have something very important to share."

As silence took ahold once again, Hiccup reached out towards one of the small satchels around his waist, and from it he pulled out a roll of parchment with writing on it and proceeded to place it on the table, unrolled.

It was a letter. Specifically an order that was carried out.

"This letter was written by one of Ivar's Chieftains some time after we landed in Norway. I looted it off of Frode's corpse. Apparently it's an order he wrote from which to carry out Ivar's command."

"Can you tell us what it says?" asked Mogadon.

"Well, that's why I'm here to read it aloud." the lad replied back, before gazing his eyes on the letter. "It reads:"

...

 _To the Chieftains of the Bloody Berserkers, Broken Axe Clan, and Dark Eye Clan._

" _I have received a letter from High King Ivar from across the sea, stating a couple of direct orders he wished for me to pass on to you."_

" _Here are his demands:"_

" _Firstly, as tribute to his leadership, King Ivar demands that each of you, including myself, are to give over a thousand men to his Völsung Clan, and to convert them into its ranks."_

" _In total, it will be four thousand warriors and maidens given over to King Ivar's Clan. A_ _nd although we will be a thousand warriors short each, we will still have great enough numbers."_

" _Along with that however, here is King Ivar's second order:"_

" _Upon his return to Norway, King Ivar wants us all to rally at the landing site which he provided to us before he departed alone to the Archipelago."_

" _By arrival, he will have a new batch of Dragons in his possession, along with something in his grasp that is so great, every Dragon will fall to it's will and might…"_

" _...But what he brings is besides the point. Just know that he will still expect us to be there within four weeks time."_

" _Until then however, keep the war going!"_

" _As of now, I make my way to the Foundry where I will decide where next to deploy our smithies and miners to gather up new supplies for our weapons and armor of war. Everyday we work, our arsenal advances."_

" _And just remember. Lothbrök's eyes are upon you!"_

 _-Signed Vlar. Chieftain of the Iron Wolf Clan, and Warlord of the Great Viking Army._

 _..._

The Chieftains all glanced at each other, talking silently after overhearing the letter. From what they made out, it seemed that Ivar had converted four thousand men into his Völsung Clan, making it the biggest out of all the other Clans in his army.

But why?

Even Magnus, who sat left of Hiccup, glanced at the letter in deep intrigument.

He rose his voice to speak up. "...Vlar, Warlord of the Great Viking Army?" he asked.

Hiccup nodded his head. "Aye. Ivar promoted him to his right-hand man, and until he returns from his trip to the Archipelago, Vlar is in charge of the Great Army."

"But why?" Stoick asked, rubbing the bristles of his beard. "There has to be a catch as to why Ivar would make Vlar into his second-in-command."

"It's because that Warlord and his Iron Wolf Clan commands the arsenal of the Great Army." Hiccup answered whilst still staring at the letter. "Vlar was the one who made the Devastators, arrow launchers, and reinforced siege weapons - such as their ballistas. He even went as far as to producing high amounts of plate-mail armor for the army. If we're to succeed in this war, we'll need to take him out…"

"But not just yet."

Immediately the Chieftain's voices rose up in response to Hiccup's decision, though it was mostly in confusion.

"Wait, why not?" spoke up Eret. "Aren't _they_ more crucial than facing off the other Clans?"

"He has a point." Mogadon replied in agreement. "If they are more important than all the others, why aren't we going for them?"

"It's simply _because_." said Mala, joining in the conversation.

Mogadon arched a brow at her. "Because what?" he asked.

"Because we don't have the equipment or manpower to take on the Iron Wolf Clan yet. They wield in their hands the most powerful weaponry in the Great Army, and our five Dragons _alone_ would likely not do much to their weapons."

"She's right." the young Viking commented, running his eyes from Chief to Chief. "Until we can actually assault the Iron Mountains and Shattered Shores where their Foundry and Harbor operate, we'll have to take care of the two least dangerous Clans."

"...But even with the numbers we have, it is still considerable."

"The lad has a point." stated Magnus, looking back at Hiccup. "It is true that we have over two thousand troops in our army, but we are still going up against thousands of more Vikings, Barbarians, and Varangians. Sure we may have lost only forty men in the last battle against the Dark Eye, but it is still not enough."

"So then who can we go for next?" replied Stoick. "The only two Clans left are the Broken Axe and-"

"The Bloody Berserkers." interrupted Hiccup. "To the south lies the Bloody Berserkers within the woods of the Blackwood Forest, where rain and snow falls all the same. But to me - they seem to be the most considerate of the other Clans, and I think that they would do nice as a next target."

Arngrim's voice rose up in shock. "You want us to go up against the Germanic Barbarians? That idea sounds suicidal, lad!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Arngrim is right." sighed Dagur. "Hiccup, those guys by blood have existed longer than us, and they most likely know a trick or two that we don't know. They could literally ambush us from out of nowhere if we step foot within those forests. If we go up against them, things will get rougher than the last battle…"

Stoick crossed his arms, letting out a deep exhale. "They also still have more warriors than us, and I doubt our Dragons will be of much use in the air since those woods are very dense. But what else is there that we can do?"

Silence began spreading over the Hall as the Chieftains began thinking to themselves with deep consideration. They knew the next Clan they would be going against would be stronger than the last, but could they handle it?

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up. It was Sigurd's.

As he cleared his throat, all attention fell on him. "Perhaps we don't need to step into their territory yet… I may actually have an idea on how we can win against them... If I may explain, Hiccup? Seeing as you're the head of this meeting."

Hiccup nodded, scooting forward in his seat as he gestured his hand towards him. "Go ahead."

The older Viking eagerly stepped forward as he took out a map from his satchel, placing it down in front of him. "I stole this when we raided the Dark Eye village, but this will make it easier to explain my idea. Plus, it's coincidental."

"Take it away, then." Magnus replied in an intrigued tone.

Sigurd bowed his head, turning his gaze onto the map.

"Outside of the Blackwood Forest, there lays a village which houses someone that I have known for a while now. They are a distant friend of mine who I used to hang around with in the past, and now they are one of two Jarls which I have kept in touch with for a couple of years. But, if we go to him to ask him for our aid in this war, then I'm sure he will gladly accept in helping us."

A large amount of chatter quickly began to spread across the Hall as the Chieftains spoke with intrigued and excited tones in their voice. Was it indeed possible for them to get more allies in their war against Ivar?

It was hard for any of them to say. But even Hiccup gave a similar expression that the other Chieftains had.

He looked towards Sigurd with widened eyes. "Sigurd, does Ivar by any chance know about this? Does he even know that they-?"

"Not even a single bit." the older Viking replied, smirking. "These two friends of mine have been isolated for a long time now, with only I and a few others knowing about their locations. Hopefully when they see me however, they'll still recognize me."

Hiccup nodded slowly in interest, rubbing his hand against his chin as he started to allow his thoughts to swim on the matter, focused only on what Sigurd had shown them, and the more he thought about it, the more he was eagered to take action.

But at the same time, he knew that it would be wrong to act too hastily.

As he disregarded the thought, the young lad knew what to do, and what to plan for the coming fight.

His attention then fell back on the Chieftains as he gave them a light nod.

"Right, that concludes our meeting for today, then." he said, standing from his seat. "In the meantime, spread the word to your warriors that we will prepare to march out in two to three days timed. But until then, remained well rested and well fed, and see to it that our work remains active."

Hiccup then slammed his hand one last time on the long-table, before replying with one word; "Dismissed."

The Chieftains in response began making their way towards the doors of the Mead Hall, walking out into the light of day - and back into the busy village of Dragon's Wake.

However, as Magnus was about to walk out, Hiccup called out his name, catching his attention.

"Magnus." he said. "May I have a word with you?"

The Warsung Chieftain looked back at Sigurd who faced him with curiosity, but Magnus gave him an assuring nod as the blonde Viking continued his way out of the Hall, leaving the doors opened.

Magnus then gazed at Hiccup, making his way closer to him before the two of them sat down by the long-table, now sitting next to each other.

The eighteen year old cleared his throat, staring at Magnus with an expression that showed concern.

"Magnus." he began. "I just wanted to ask you- how is Eira doing? I received no word from you about her condition after you managed to remove the arrow from her, and I just wanted to know how she is doing."

He gave a light sigh. "She's fine." he answered. "As I said, we were able to remove the arrow without causing any further pain to her. Eira's just tensed up over what happened, but she's slowly healing. She'll be back up on her feet in no time ready to fight."

"Hm, I see. And when do you reckon that will be?"

"Most likely within two days or so." he said, gazing out towards the opened doors of the Mead Hall. "But until then, I'll have to take care of her. After all… she's so much more than just a friend to me. And even though she doesn't know it, it is indeed true."

"I know the feeling." Hiccup replied, giving off a small smirk. "... It's like the thing that's going between me and-"

"Yes yes, you don't need to explain." the older Viking said, getting a chuckle off Hiccup as he too giggled back in a hearty manner.

However, a moment of silence followed among the two as they looked around in embarrassment, wondering what to say next. But Magnus would quickly respond with a question.

"So…" he said. "How goes that project of yours? You still have yet to finish it, right?"

"Aye." said Hiccup. "But I believe that it will be ready soon. I just need to finish shaping out the mechanism that I'll need to activate the tail fin and-"

Upon hearing the words 'tail fin', Magnus' face became filled with surprise as he straightened his back, now interested.

"W- Wait, a tail fin?" he stuttered. "You're _making_ a new fin for Toothless?"

"Yup, and I'm going to make sure that when I fly him up into the air, it works properly. I've worked many days and nights on this, and I assured Toothless that I will not let him down again. Once he is back in the air, he and I will have a fun time dealing with Ivar, y'know?"

"...I guess you could say that." Magnus shrugged as he stared out into the blue. "But we still need to take into consideration on if the enemy has Dragons of their own - because I don't know about you, but I think Ivar has something big planned. We went up against one Dragon when we fought to claim Dragon's Wake, so where are the rest?"

…

* * *

Ivar felt rocky soil touch his boots as he, his men, and Drago jumped safely off the longship, and landed on shore without incident.

From his perspective, the Viking King did not know where he was. Drago had taken him dozens and dozens of miles upon miles away from Norway, only to land on a distant rock in the middle of nowhere that was covered only with fog and smoke.

Ivar gazed back at Drago. "Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked him.

The man nodded in certainty. "Indeed, young Lothbrök. This is the island that I wanted to take you to. And although it may not seem like much to you, there is in fact more before you than you think there is."

"You just need to look closer… Go ahead. Move yourself forward."

Ivar did as Drago told him, taking a few limping steps forward with his walking stick in hand.

He then squinted his eyes as he came closer to what seemed to be some sort of mountain coming into view from the fog. It was not a huge mountain, but it was a mountain nonetheless…

...However, as Ivar continued making his way closer and closer to it, he soon realized that the mountain was no ordinary mountain at all, but was in fact a _volcano._

Along with that, Ivar saw that there was a massive tunnel-like hole leading deep into the fiery mountain, though he could not see where it led to. And even as he looked up, he could see that the flames were still lit - but the light it gave out was somewhat quite dim.

He now knew quite well by Drago's terms that this was the island that they were looking for.

"So… this is indeed the island then?" he asked once again.

"Yes, Ivar." he replied, taking a few steps closer to the younger Viking until he stood right next to him.

He then stabbed his bullhook into the ground, gesturing his arm outward. "For many years, a majority of the Dragons that you and I know were housed here… used as slaves by something that _should_ be a slave… though it seems they managed to finally find their way out to freedom from it's clutches a couple of years ago."

"I see." Ivar replied in a hushed tone. "And I assume this explains the large tunnel that leads into the mountain?"

Drago nodded. "Indeed. This is how the Dragons made their way out of the mountain without having to go up and out through the center of it. They _blasted_ their way out... However, it seems that they've left the creature within the mountain starving without its source of food. The dimmed fires from the top of the volcano show it to be so… It lays weak."

"And yet it managed to survive for this long through hibernation I suppose?" said Ivar, gazing up in interest. "After all, it would need to rest itself in order to maintain its strength."

Drago chuckled in amusement, giving off a light nod. "I see why they call you the clever one… But even as it hibernates, it is still too weak to fight with all of it's might. Without having anything to eat for a couple or more years, the beast can only come out and defend itself at best. Either way, this weakness will prove as a strength for us to break it."

"...And then, it will be yours."

Ivar lowered his brows with a smirk. "Then I say let it come. When it wakes up, I will-"

...His words immediately came to a halt. The two men looked up towards the top of the volcano and noticed that the light emanating from the lava and flames had suddenly gotten brighter.

After that, a violent shaking in the earth followed with the sound of a large boom which, to Ivar, sounded like something stomping against the island they walked on.

And then, that's when they heard it… a massive roar echoed out towards them from the large tunnel that led into the mountain as the rocks then began crumbling down in front of them. The stomping got louder and closer, and the men who accompanied Ivar began to shake with suspense as they took a few steps back.

Drago however pointed his hand out, shaking his head. "Don't go anywhere! Just stand behind me, and I will take care of the rest…"

It was then that he pulled his bullhook out of the ground, facing back towards the beach as he gave out a grunt, and exhaled in anger which he began to pump up.

He then spoke out in a low tone. "It's time to even the odds…"

Drago grunted again, louder than before as the anger filling up within him quickly intensified until he began spinning his bullhook in circles.

And then, he started to scream.

"AAAHHH! AAAHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Quicker and quicker he spun his bullhook in circles until from afar, the waters of the beach slowly started churning - all before turning into giant waves...


	56. A New Step Forward

**For this chapter, I decided to focus more on making scenes that go between several POVs, from Berk, to our protagonists, and then to some of our antagonists.**

 **I will also say that Hiccup won't be shown as much in this chapter, and although the scenes are not as long, I do assure you that this chapter will be a treat for you guys, and you will see why!**

 **Also, I just want to give a quick thanks to Eris(Guest), and KorrieChan for the reviews last chapter! Thanks guys!**

 **Now then! Let us move on, shall we?**

* * *

From within Berk's Great Hall, the Council gathered together as they sat around to hear what Gobber had to share with them, and as well as to ask why exactly the old smithy had summoned them.

Sven was the first to speak up, beginning the conversation.

"Alright Gobber, why did you summon us?" he asked the old Viking. "Unless it is of great importance, we can't be here for too long. We have other matters at hand."

Gobber nodded with an apprehensive gesture. "Aye, I understand tha'. But I wouldn't 'ave summoned ye all here if it weren't fer Gothi's recent vision, an' I doubt we 'ave long b' fore Hiccup's put inta grave danger."

"What are you talking about?" Spitelout questioned, crossing his arms. "I highly doubt that he or my son would be placed into such serious danger, especially since now that they have the possession of Dragons."

Gobber shook his head. "Our Dragons alone won't be enough, Spitelout. Ya don't understand what Gothi saw in 'er vision. Somethin' is coming, and it's somethin' we 'avent ever faced b' fore."

Spitelout laughed out loud mockingly at the Viking's claim, viewing it as a joke of sorts. But his expression shortly turned back into that of a serious look.

"Oh, here we go with the _'something evil is coming'_ nonsense! Gobber, when will you understand that there is nothing more dangerous out there except for that maniac Ivar? For all we know, he could be-"

The blonde-haired Viking immediately responded by slamming his hand hard against the table, interrupting Spitelout as it shook. "This isn't us humans tha' we're talkin' about. It's a DRAGON dammit!"

Immediately, the Hall fell to silence as the expressions on the Berkian Council quickly changed to bewildering looks. Their eyes showed that to them, Gobber's response was like a wake up call.

Mulch, who sat near Bucket, stuttered in his voice. "W- What?" he asked "A Dragon, Gobber?"

"Aye, an' it's one tha' we've never seen b' fore. It's tha size of a mountain I tell ye! ...From what Gothi described in 'er writing, I now know tha' this beast's beyond any other Dragon tha' no man 'as ever seen or faced. But ta control it is another thing."

"Control it?" asked Bucket. "Like tame it? Does that mean I get to get my own to use against Iv-!"

"Bucket!" interrupted Mulch. "Now's not the time for dozing off into a daydream! Focus!"

"Sorry…"

Mulch sighed, glancing back at Gobber as they got back on topic.

"So, control it - you say?" he questioned the Viking, receiving a nod in response. "And in what way would it be controlled-? ...What are you trying saying here, Gobber?"

"...Tha Dragon's about ta become Ivar's greatest weapon. An' with it, it brings a red fiery destruction o' death."

Dead silence once again filled the Hall. The Vikings felt a chilling dread go down their spines just from hearing the mention of Ivar, and it made everyone's stomachs churn in tension.

Even Spitelout, who initially ignored Gobber's claim, now begun to believe him.

"I never imagined that psychopath would go this far to wipe us off from the face of the world." he said, speaking in a low hushed tone. "And now I feel there is hardly any hope in stopping him now… does Hiccup or my son know anything about this?"

The smithy shook his head, and Spitelout in turn looked down to his feet, feeling dreadful and hopeless about the situation. By this point, what could they do?

Gobber however was not done speaking. He rose his voice up once more with another wake up call.

"...There is a way we can stop it."

Instantly, all attention was diverted onto him, considering that now the situation was desperate.

"How?" asked Sven as he slightly scooted forward in his seat. "You did just say it was the size of a mountain, did you not-?"

"We'll 'ave ta train our own Dragons." he responded, with his voice giving off a mix of growing confidence and desperation.

Mulch raised a brow. "Train our own Dragons? How?"

"Tha same way Hiccup an' tha others did." he said as he stood from his seat and begun to pace.

"Hiccup never gave up on 'ope when tha times seemed dark an' dreadful. He always believed tha' somewhere in tha darkness, there laid a beacon o' light tha' shined out whenever 'is heart gave 'im tha ability ta move on. Through hope, eagerness, an' belief, Hiccup took a step inta tha great beyond an' found Toothless who was 'is beacon o' hope… 'is friend."

He then stopped in his steps, facing back towards the Council with new determination in his eyes.

"An' so, I tell ye this; ferget all past hatreds between Humans an' Dragons." he said, raising up a fist. "I ask ye now ta put tha fear ye had 'o Dragons ta tha side, an' view them as how Hiccup viewed them when he first brought Toothless inta tha fold. Berk must tolerate Dragons, now more than ever."

"...Aye. I agree with this plan!" Spitelout smirked, standing to his feet. "If taking the next step in getting Dragons for all of the people of Berk is what it takes to stop Ivar and his swarm of destruction, then I will be willing to take that risk."

"I too am in league with this plan." Sven commented, nodding with an eager look. "And if there are no objections to this idea, then I'd say that we can now officially declare Dragons as more than just our allies, but rather our friends... I am sure Stoick would have wanted that."

"Ooh, then I guess getting myself a Dragon won't be such a problem now, eh? asked Bucket.

Mulch nodded in agreement, now seeing that the vote was unanimous. "If that's the case, then what would you have us do, Gobber?"

Gobber grinned, speaking up louder than ever with inspiration.

"Let Berk 'ear our plea of alliance with tha Dragons! Tomorrow we shall make speeches ta inspire tha whole village! We shall then scour tha Archipelago in search o' Dragons, an' we shall teach everyone, including tha folk, how ta bond with them! Once all's set an' done, all those who're willing ta take tha fight ta tha enemy alongside their Dragons will rally by month's end, an' we shall fly ta Norway in a great flock like no Viking 'as _ever_ seen before!"

His hand slammed hard down on the table. "WE FIGHT AS ONE! Ta' gether, Ivar the Boneless an' tha Great Heathen Army will fall ta our feet, an' we will TRIUMPH!"

…

* * *

Magnus tilted his head as he looked towards Eira who laid in bed with her back and head against the wall, happy see her in fine condition as she was alive and well.

He smiled. "You look better than you were yesterday." he said. "I'm glad that you're healing fast and well. Seems Fishlegs' remedy did indeed do the trick. Though I will say, I can't stay idle for long since I'll be going to the Smithy later to do something."

"Well if you must - then you must. But aye, I am indeed feeling much better." she nodded back at him. "An arrow to the chest was something that I never saw coming, but if weren't for you, I'd be dead."

"Really?" he asked her.

"Aye, really." she smiled, gazing her eyes down.

"Well I mean- it wasn't just me." he chuckled heartily. "It was also Hiccup and the others who helped save your life. You should be thanking them and not me alone."

She shook her head, being quick to reply. "No- no you don't understand. What I mean is that you were there when I needed you the most, and you showed that you did not abandon your promise of being by me. After all those times you and I have been together, you've left me with a feeling that I can hardly express."

Magnus arched a brow of interest. "Is that so? And what might this feeling be that you have in you? Appreciation? Care? Selflessness? How would you describe it, hm?"

Eira snorted in laughter, letting out a light giggle. "Well, I guess I could describe it… though only one word comes to mind when I think of it."

And one word was all she expressed to Magnus. She had nothing to hide, and all that was given out from her tone of voice was honestly, and the forming of something that she felt towards the young warrior.

"Love."

...Magnus did not say a word at that moment. At first he just could not find the words to comprehend his reaction to her, or even explain to the young shield maiden how he felt about her feelings towards him. He simply couldn't believe it.

"L- Love?" he stuttered. "Are… are you serious, Eira? Do you really mean it?"

Eira gave a nod, making out a smile with her lips. There wasn't a shred of doubt in her that she would make herself regret her decision, because she _actually_ meant it.

"You mean more than the world to me, Magnus. After all we've gone through together with Hiccup and the rest of our friends, I eventually realized that one of the reasons I continued to push forward was because of you. Where I saved your life when no one could, you saved mine. For that, you have become more than just a friend to me."

Her eyes glanced up directly at his, glimmering as a result of the emotion she felt.

"...And because of you, I found my happiness."

Magnus sat in silence, placing a hand over his beating heart as it pumped at a faster rate. He simply could not describe to Eira how he was feeling about not just the situation as a whole, but about her as well.

He looked at her with both brows lifted, and a half-formed grin. "I- I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing." she replied to him, lifting herself to sit at the edge of the bed. "For now, let's enjoy this moment while we still can. Heart to heart."

The two now faced across from each other, gazing each other in the eyes as their heads slowly began moving in towards one another. They leaned further forward until their foreheads finally touched… and then their lips met in a loving kiss as they shared their love right there and then.

Then, after a few seconds passed, the two young Vikings split apart, still keeping their foreheads against each other with loving smiles on both of their faces.

"I love you, Eira."

"I love you too, Magnus."

Slowly but surely, her head gently fell into the lad's chest with comfort, and for a time they would stay in that position until Eira would fall asleep in his arms…

…

* * *

Down by the Blacksmith, Hiccup sat in a chair by his work-desk as he sewed at a wide fabric of red-painted leather, working on the new tailfin for Toothless. So far, he had finished the mechanism and structure of the prosthetic from which he would use to fly the Dragon.

And now all that was left for him to do was to make the actual tailfin itself, which would flap and bend with the use of the pedals that would help him in controlling Toothless' flight.

But even Toothless, who laid down by the young Viking, didn't seem to care much about it at the moment.

"...Why the long and tired face, Toothless?" asked Hiccup, looking over at the Black Dragon. "I mean, this _is_ your tailfin. Aren't you at all excited about it?"

The Night Fury only responded with deep exhales of air as he warbled, now snoring. He did not hear a single thing that Hiccup said to him.

Hiccup sighed. "Reptile." he muttered under his breath as his eyes fell back onto his project, quickly getting back to work on it.

But before he could continue making much of an effort, a pair of footsteps caught his attention as he eyed up towards the entrance of the Smithy, and in came Magnus with a sheathed sword in hand.

"Good evening, Hiccup." he said cheerfully whilst making his way to the forge.

The scrawny Viking rose a brow, stuttering in his words. "Oh- uh, hi Magnus... What are you doing here so late? I didn't know you were coming. Do you need something?"

The young Chief shook his head. "Don't mind me. I just need the forge and anvil. I have a long night of work ahead of me."

As he placed the sheathed weapon down on the anvil, Magnus took his time to set everything up around his work area, lighting the forge with brighter and hotter flames, readying the grindstone, and clearing off the anvil.

All while this was going on, Hiccup couldn't bother but to keep watching what the older Viking was doing. It got him curious, and he wondered what he was up to.

But then, his eyes fell onto the sheathed weapon which Magnus brought in, and upon looking at the hilt, he immediately recognized what sword it was.

"Hey, isn't that your old blade?" he asked, pointing a finger.

Magnus gave a nod. "Aye, it is… and as broken as it is, I still plan to put it back together. To make it whole again."

"...Wait, you mean you're going to reforge it?"

Once again, he nodded at Hiccup. "Indeed. And I'm going to make sure that this blade becomes stronger than before. I will make it sharper than it once was, and I will carve runes so I may wield the Gods' blessings."

Hiccup's reaction was unclear. He didn't know whether to be surprised, excited, or unsure on if it would be possible to wield it once putting both pieces back together. But the thought of Magnus carving out runes on the blade was a bit much - especially since he never recalled him ever putting runes on a weapon.

"Have you ever carved runes on a weapon before in your life?" asked Hiccup.

"Nope, never." said Magnus, still heating up the forge until it was at a hot enough temperature.

He smiled, staring at the dancing flames. "Well, time to get to it."

The blacksmith would not waste a moment as he began his work. He began by emptying the sheathe of both halves of the sword, though the part he mainly needed was the half without the hilt. Thankfully, it was still fully intact.

Magnus then proceeded to take a pair of tongs, using them to grab ahold of the long and sturdy shard of metal before placing it into the forge. He did not even need to wait for a minute for it to warm up, and before he knew it, the metal was heated up just right.

As he gently took the hot shard out of the hot fires with his tongs, he placed it atop the anvil and connected it next to the other half of the broken blade.

Then, he took his hammer, and quickly started pounding down where the two shards of the sword met.

The first strike caused small sparks of flames to erupt from it, slowly beginning to smelt and fuse both pieces together... But Magnus didn't stop. He would not stop.

Again he dropped the hammer upon the crack of both shards that continued to meld together, and once again, more sparks flew out of it. His pace of hammering then quickly began to increase as he struck the weapon with great force - again, and again, and again whilst flipping it to hit both sides.

Eventually, both parts became partially connected, and Magnus turned back towards the forge and again placed the blade into the hot flames, this time holding it by the hilt until it was once more hot enough before putting it back on the anvil.

Again, sparks danced from the flame-lit blade as Magnus continued hammering down on it, and throughout all of Dragon's Wake, the sound of him striking his soon-to-be repaired weapon with his hammer in the night was all that could be heard.

...

* * *

From atop a cliff, in the Northern reaches of Ivar's kingdom near the Iron Mountains, Ivar's second-in-command, Vlar, stood and gazed upon his large Blacksmith Fortress that stood from afar in the distance, namely the Iron Foundry.

It's tall stone chimneys gave out large black clouds of smoke that rose up into the sky, burning wood from the forges down below. Meanwhile, within the Foundry itself, behind its large walls of wood and iron, numerous amounts of smithies and workshops operated in creating the weapons and machines of war that helped supply the Great Viking Army.

The Warlord inhaled the air, giving off a closed grin as he exhaled before turning to Chieftain Hjalmar who was standing by him.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" he asked. "Everyday our army gets stronger in strength, and the fires of industry blacken the skies with the scent of war."

"Indeed." the Broken Axe Chief chuckled. "But even with strength and ingenuity at our side, the Vikings of the Archipelago will still put up a fierce fight against us. We've received word that they have re-rallied once more under one banner. There is no doubt they'll try and go for one of our Clans next."

Vlar scoffed. "Those horned-helmet fools are still fighting on? Even after they lost grievously on the shores of Skyrsdok, they still do not know the meaning of surrender or defeat?"

The Broken Axe Chieftain shrugged with a grunting sigh. "Defeat is something they refuse to admit, especially since they had recently won a battle against our ally Frode and his former Dark Eye Clan."

The Warlord to rose a brow at Hjalmar's words. Curious. "...Former?" he asked.

"You didn't hear?" asked Hjalmar. "We recently received a crate that was delivered straight to Kattegat. Inside of it… was Frode's head with the message; _the Dark Eye Clan is no more. One of you are next..._ Many of our warriors have begun to view this as a grievous blow to our army."

Vlar grunted, shaking his head. "Chieftain Frode was a liability to the Great Army. His visions proved to be hardly worth an effort or benefit to our cause, and in the end, his arrogance in an attempt to see them become a reality was his undoing."

"But even with his death, what about us?" he asked the Iron Wolf Chief. "What if the Tribes come after one of us next? If anything, we should-"

"Don't be scared of those cowards. Even if they go after us with all of their might _and_ with their Dragons, they will still be outnumbered - even if they go up against one of our Clans alone. Besides, I've already sent a letter down South to Chieftain Karvein to meet me here. As far as I know, he has a problem of his own regarding a neighboring Viking Clan that's been fighting against him. Though it _is_ clear that they're not from the Archipelago."

"Does Ivar know about this?" asked Hjalmar.

"Not at the moment." he replied. "But when he returns, he'll likely have us take care of it. Right now, we still have a situation of our own to the East with another rebelling Clan. I will see to it however that before this war ends, I will have Hiccup Haddock's head on a pike as his army falls to our machines of war…"

* * *

 **Quick note! To those who are curious or wondering on what exactly the Iron Foundry looks like - just picture a good ol' Blacksmith as big as Eret's fort from HTTYD II, mix it with Isengard from the Lord of the Rings with it's quarries, pits, and machinery, and there ya go!**

 **Also, yes - Magnus and Eira are officially a couple in the story now!**


	57. Making New Allies

**So I decided for this chapter to time jump ahead two days from the previous chapter, and along with that, we will be introduced to a new protagonist who will be of importance from here on out. Later on, when it's revealed as to why he is so important, you guys may or may not be mind-blown!**

 **And of course, before starting, a thanks to KorrieChan for the review last chapter!**

 **Right then. Let's read onwards!**

* * *

 _ **Two days later...**_

The cold morning wind blew against Hiccup's face whilst he eyed towards the many trees that were passing by beneath him. As he flew, his feet were pressed down against two pedals which controlled the mechanism and helped in Toothless; specifically, with his new and complete tailfin.

The Night Fury was airborne once more with Hiccup riding on his back. However, they were not alone.

"...I can't believe you actually did it." whistled Magnus who held onto Hiccup's shoulders from behind. "I never thought you would actually go this far in building his new tailfin, but now here we are in the air once more."

Hiccup chuckled. "Well, I did what I could along with a couple of tests before we went flying, but it seems my work has paid off. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

From around him; Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins flew atop their Dragons with Hiccup. Along with that, Eira rode with Astrid, Sigurd rode with Snotlout, and Heather rode with Fishlegs.

However, the only response most of them gave were lazy nods. Even after the couple of hours they had so far flown, they were quickly beginning to get exhausted.

Snotlout yawned. "It's cool, Hiccup. But I'm more concerned about landing back down on the ground to get some rest… And Sigurd, how far are we from this village you mentioned? We've been flying for hours, and so far there's not a sign."

"Be patient." the blonde Viking replied. "I never said that this journey would be a short one. And besides, it's still early in the morning, and our Dragons aren't at their fullest."

"You could say that again." said Fishlegs whose eyes squinted from exhaustion. "Meatlug kept me up all night because she wanted to play around. Another hour of flight, and I'll likely pass out."

"Wait, then why didn't you put her in the Stables?" asked Heather.

"She refused to sleep in the Stables, and wanted to be with me. And besides, you know how I love my ' _pwecious Meatwug'_ too much."

Astrid shook her head as she let out an "ugh", clearly not interested. "Look, maybe it's best we focus more on flight, and talk later. The sooner we get there, the sooner our Dragons can rest."

"Agreed." nodded Hiccup. "Keep your eyes sharp, guys! For all we know, we could be-"

"Wait!" spoke Sigurd, pointing a finger in the distance. "Look over there! I think I see smoke rising in the distance... Must be chimney smoke."

The Dragons immediately came to a halt as the group eyed their gaze in the distance.

"Chimney smoke?" asked Hiccup. "Sigurd, how would you know if we're even near civilization? That could be- ...wait, are you maybe implying that we're here?"

"I'm certain of it." the older Viking replied. "If anything, this area is slowly beginning to come back to me. It seems… familiar. I believe we're here!"

"Then I guess we can finally land." responded Magnus, tilting his eyes towards Hiccup. "It's your call."

Everyone laid their eyes on him, wanting to land their Dragons just as the young Viking nodded his head, allowing them to fly down to the ground.

"Let's land, then."

The Riders immediately rode their Dragons down, landing swiftly on the ground beneath the pine trees as they quickly dismounted.

Looking all around, the group found themselves in the middle of a dirt road with only pine trees all around them. If anything, it lacked any kind of bushes or shrubs. Only the trees, and scattered fallen pine needles were all there really was.

As Hiccup and Magnus dismounted from Toothless, the two of them squinted their eyes, looking down the dirt path that likely led to where Sigurd was trying to take them, especially since they now saw the rising smoke more clearly.

Hiccup smiled with a confident look. "Well then, seems like civilization is more closer than I thought it was."

"Then I guess it was a good thing that Sigurd was right." replied Magnus whilst wrapping his sheathed blade around his waist. "All we have to do now is follow the road and see what awaits us."

"Eh, probably some warm yak milk." shrugged Tuffnut. "Maybe I can finally get myself a decent breakfast as well."

"Or maybe even make a decent prank." responded Ruffnut.

The two of them gave chuckles at the thought of it, giving each other a high five as they began their walk along the road.

"Barf, Belch, c'mon!" Tuffnut said, causing the Dragon to follow behind them.

Astrid stepped closer to Hiccup, placing her fists against her hips as she eyed the Twins. "Honestly, I sometimes have a feeling that they're going to do something stupid at one point."

"Maybe, but that's the least of our worries right now." he sighed. "...Well, we'd better not waste any more time. We should be ready to expect the unexpected... Come on, Toothless."

The group thus began moving, with Sigurd in the lead as Hiccup and the others along with their Dragons followed from behind, knowing that the guards, if there were any, would most likely recognize the lad if he told them who he was.

Whilst walking, Hiccup stayed closer to Astrid, not making much eye contact with one another since there was not much to talk about.

But as Hiccup took a look back at Magnus and Eira, he noticed that they there much closer to each other than usual… _much_ closer.

The thought came upon him, and he looked back at Astrid. He then spoke in a low and hushed tone.

"Hey Astrid?" he asked, catching the shield maiden's attention.

She looked back at him. "Yeah, Hiccup?"

"Have you… noticed anything unusual about Magnus lately? Like, very recently?"

Astrid shook her head. "No? Nothing seems to be different. Why? Have you begun to notice something?"

"...Yeah, sort of." he replied. "I mean, he's been a bit more strange than usual. Most of the time he is on duty looking after his Tribe, but recently he's been doing more personal things."

"Such as…?"

"Well for starters, he reforged his old sword. You know, the one with the blue hilt which he gave to me back in Kattegat before he made me the Dragon's Blade? Hel, he's even considered carving runes on the blade so that the Gods could "bless" it, but he's never carved runes before in his life."

"Hmm…" Astrid slowly nodded her head. "And?"

"And? W- Well..."

Hiccup stuttered, taking another quick glance back at Magnus.

"And then there's this strange thing that's been going on between Magnus and Eira. The two of them have been _much_ closer than they've ever been. Yesterday, I could've sworn that I saw them holding hands as they made their way to the Mead Hall."

Astrid's eyes immediately widened with a mix of belief and disbelief. But as she looked back towards the two Vikings, she knew what Hiccup was talking about.

"Wait... are you saying-?"

He chuckled. "That Magnus and Eira are officially a couple? Yuuuup… As if they couldn't pick a better time to date than in the middle of a war."

Astrid giggled, nodding in agreement. "Couldn't agree more myself. But still, the idea of it is… cute, I guess. Though still, I think that they _should_ be together. After all, they deserve it."

Hiccup gave a nod back. "Aye, indeed they do."

As the two nodded, they then focused looking back towards the end of the road, keeping silence with the rest of the group whilst their long walk continued. The Dragons too didn't make much motion aside, looking from around as they followed.

Eventually, they would reach the gates of the village, but upon reaching them, they were stopped by the two guards who stood there with their spears out, and they crossed their weapons as they glared down at the group.

Immediately, Toothless began to growl.

"Hold, Toothless!" Hiccup said as he reached his hand out. "They're only on guard because they weren't expecting us."

"That we are." one of the guards responded, gazing at Hiccup. "You do realize that you have brought _Dragons_ before our gates, and from what we've heard, Ivar the Boneless has Dragons of his own. How do we know that you are not one of his allies? Those fools who lack honor."

"Because we are in no way at all allied with Ivar." replied Sigurd, taking a step forward. "We've devoted ourselves to destroying him and his Viking onslaught. But for now, I have come to see and speak with your leader."

The second guard glanced at Sigurd, arching a brow. "Oh really? And who are you to come in uninvited to see our Jarl? For all we know, you could be-"

"My name is Sigurd." the blonde Viking interrupted, glaring back at him. "I am a friend and ally of your Jarl, and I have been a close friend of his for many years. Now either you let me through, or I ask that you go and get the Jarl so that he can scold you for denying him to see an old friend again."

From behind their helmets, the two guards widened their eyes as they glanced at each other, almost as if they were surprised rather than angered by Sigurd's response.

"S- Sigurd?" one of them asked. "Could he be…?"

"I think he is… Now that I recall his face, he _has_ to be." the other replied, glancing back at the blonde young man with a relieved and calming state.

The warrior cleared his throat. "Sigurd… we apologize for our hasty actions." he said. "But by the gods… you are still alive? Even after Ivar-"

"Aye." he replied. "But I still managed to find a way through because fate allowed it. And now I return to ask for your Jarl's help. My friends here, and I, need him more than ever."

"Very well." the second guard nodded. "We'll escort you through the town to the Mead Hall, but make sure you and your Dragons stay close."

With that, the horn was blown as the tall wooden gates slowly began turning opened from the inside, and as Hiccup peaked in, he saw four other guards on the other side pulling the gates inwards.

Eventually, the gates were opened entirely, and the village was fully revealed before the group's eyes.

The guards gave them a nod as they beckoned Hiccup and the others to follow them into the town, and upon walking in, everyone from around stared at them and their Dragons with intrigued looks as they passed by hut after hut.

"They don't seem to be scared of our Dragons." said Astrid as she glanced back at the townsfolk.

One of the warriors nodded. "It's because they know that you're not an enemy, thus your Dragons aren't enemies either. Regardless, we should quicken our pace. The Jarl will be eager to speak with you all."

…

* * *

The doors to the Mead Hall were met with a few heavy knocks as the bodyguards rushed from their positions with haste, quickly opening them and allowing Hiccup and the group make their way inside.

Upon entering, Hiccup felt the warmth and cozy feeling of the Hall take ahold of him as he unwrapped his cloak from around him, and placed it around his left arm.

Looking up ahead, Hiccup saw what he assumed to be the Jarl talking with two of his guards.

The Jarl wore a grey leather vest with a red tunic underneath, with his boots and pants also being leather. Along with that, he had a white furred cloak wrapped around his back, as well as braids like Sigurd's whilst his brunette hair stretched down in ponytail.

As the young Jarl looked back at the group, he noticed that there were Dragons standing behind them, doing nothing but looking around at his Hall.

He arched a brow. "This is unusual... There are Dragons in the midst of my Hall accompanying a group of strangers? What business do folk you have here in my village? ...You're not with Ivar or his Barbarian allies, are you?"

"No, they are not." another voice spoke up as Sigurd made his way into view in front of the Jarl.

"I brought them here with good reason, my old friend. They're with me, and you well know that I am certainly not with Ivar. And as for the Dragons? They are more than just allies. They are our companions, and our friends... But regardless of that, I have come here seeking you, Hvitserk."

The young twenty three year olds eyes widened. "Sigurd… it's you!"

Hvitserk gave a smile as he turned from the guards he was talking to, walking with haste towards Sigurd as both old friends met in a brotherly-like hug.

Sigurd chuckled as the two separated, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Aye, it's good to see you too again, old friend."

"You have no idea how worried I was, Sigurd." replied Hvitserk. "When I heard that Ivar was taking all of Norway under his direct rule and planned to invade another distant land, I feared the worst of what he was going to do with you."

"Well, he threw me aboard a prison longship in the end." the blonde Viking stated. "But were it not for the actions of these brave warriors, I would have been dead."

Sigurd stepped to the side as his arm gestured towards the group, motioning them to come closer to him.

"My Chieftain Magnus, and Eira are Scandinavian like myself, but these young Vikings right here are from a far away land who have pledged their lives to fight Ivar and his Great "Viking" Army… Hiccup here was born in the Archipelago from which Ivar intended to invade, before somehow becoming raised here in Norway."

"Hiccup?" asked Hvitserk. "You mean that young Viking whose name is spreading all across the land?"

"The very same." nodded Sigurd.

Hvitserk took a couple of steps forward as he glanced down at Hiccup with welcoming and friendly eyes, clearly showing that he admired the scrawny lad.

"Despite your scrawniness, I can clearly see that you have strength, skill, and discipline in you. Your victories across Norway have not gone unnoticed, and for that, I can only say that you are among the bravest and strongest I've seen… Also, well done against the Dark Eye."

Hiccup nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, but… how did you know all of this?"

"I have spies and scouts all over the land." chuckled Hvitserk. "They lay low and anonymous so that no enemy or threat can discover our location. But from how I now see it, we've been found by Karvein and his forces."

"...Karvein-? The leader of the Germanic Barbarians in Ivar's army?"

"The same." the Jarl grunted. "But I must ask out of curiosity. Why are you here?"

Hiccup responded by getting straight to the point. "...I want to seek an alliance with you, Hvitserk. From what I can see, these Barbarians pose quite a threat to you, and they'll likely continue to gnaw at you until you are broken... Let us become allies. We will take the fight to Ivar and his Great Army, and I assure you that I will first help you deal with Karvein and his Barbarians. That is my promise."

"And that is a guaranteed promise." Sigurd said, nodding his head. "Trust me when I tell you that Hiccup is our only hope in this conflict. I swear it."

It was clear to Hvitserk on what his choice was. There was no other option, and he knew that if he accepted, he would benefit not just his own Clan, but as well as those who stood alongside with him.

Hvitserk nodded, reaching his hand out for a handshake. "It's a deal." he said. "Hiccup Haddock of the Archipelago, I hereby claim you as an ally of the Grey Raven Clan, and we yours if that's what it will take to defeat these Barbarians, and then Ivar himself. Together, we shall be victorious!"

Hiccup bowed his head as he took ahold of Hvitserk's hand, grasping it. "Indeed we will."

As the two separated their handshake, the young Jarl looked back at the group with a welcoming expression as he rubbed his hands together.

"Now then." he said. "With that out the way, who wants to settle down at my table and eat with me? You all look tired and hungry."

"We haven't had any breakfast this morning." said Heather who gave a small grin. "But your offer is most appreciating. I'm in."

"Same here, Hvitserk." said Snotlout. "I could use a little bit of grub in my belly."

"Us too!" both Twins said in unison.

"Then it's settled." chuckled Hvitserk. "Everyone come sit, and let us feast together! I welcome you to Ravengard!"

...

* * *

"...And that's how I became the Chieftain of a newfound Tribe made from scratch, composed of warriors and maidens who were betrayed by Ivar and thrown out of his Völsung Clan. Now, we call ourselves Warsung. Where we go, war is sung in battle."

Hvitserk nodded as he listened to Magnus who was sitting next to him, intrigued in his story.

"So _you_ were among the first to openly rebel against Ivar back in Kattegat? And it was all to help out Hiccup?"

"It wasn't just me alone." the Chieftain replied. "Eira here also helped Hiccup escape from Kattegat, though it was a necessary distraction. If we had not done it, then they would have caught up with him and killed him."

"I see…" said Hvitserk. "And is Eira close to you when it comes to relationship? Like… a couple?"

Magnus slightly blushed as he looked back at Eira - who was also blushing at him.

"...Yes."

The group gave light a light _"ooh",_ slightly jaw-dropped and a little bit surprised by Magnus' response.

"Well, looks like we were right, Astrid." said Hiccup as the two of them drank from their mead, pretending that they were not paying attention.

"Yup." she replied. "But I think that's beside the point."

Hvitserk laughed, before his eyes then fell onto the Dragons who laid resting behind Hiccup. He became curious, but also interested.

"So, those Dragons that you have with you." he said whilst looking down at his meal. "How did you earn their trust- or well, I should ask; how did they earn _your_ trust?"

"We bonded with them." said Hiccup, glancing from Toothless and Hvitserk. "I was the first to learn about their true nature after I came to Berk, and from there, I eventually trained and bonded with Toothless. He earned my trust as I have earned his, and now, he is my best friend."

Hvitserk smiled in amusement. "Wow." he responded. "It's amazing what you Berkians can accomplish with your Dragons. Such extraordinary creatures if I do say so myself. Your Dragon Toothless must be happy to stand by your side every step of the way, and I think he is-"

Before being able to finish, the doors to the Great Hall suddenly bursted opened as a messenger came running in with a rolled up letter of parchment in hand, wrapped around by a woolen band.

"My Jarl." the messenger said as he approached Hvitserk. "I've received a letter from one of our out-lying outposts. It's for you."

"Who is it from?" asked Hvitserk.

"I don't know." the man replied, shaking his head. "But I think you should read it to find out."

Hvitserk gave no other word as he took the offered letter from the messenger, untying it from the woolen string that held it together before quickly unrolling it. But upon making his first glance at the letter, he noticed a familiar yet bothersome crest drawn near the top-right corner.

It was the crest of the Bloody Berserkers.

The letter read:

…

 _To the Jarl of the Grey Raven Clan._

" _You have have openly admitted to being against my Clan after slaughtering a group of my warriors, and sending their heads back to me."_

" _Not only that, but you have also cowardly slain two of my five Germanic Chieftains that followed under me, and left their Tribes leaderless."_

" _Your treason has been noted to the other Chieftains left standing, as well as to the rest of the Great Viking Army."_

"Thus as _a result of your actions; I leave you with two choices."_

" _Send a letter back to me, and pledge your allegiance to the Great Viking Army, and to Ivar. Forget any of this happened, and I will renounce your act of revolt against us."_

" _Or you can refuse, and I will march to your village, kill your warriors, kill your people, and enslave anyone left standing. You know you cannot win this one."_

" _You have three days to give me an answer. If you don't respond until then, then I shall burn Ravengard to ashes whilst it's streets will run with rivers of blood."_

" _Now make your decision. Remember; three days."_

 _-Signed, Chieftain Karvein of the Bloody Berserkers._

…

Hvitserk crumpled the letter as he banged his hand against the table in anger, glaring down at it.

"That damned Barbarian has tested my patience for far too long." he growled. "First he threatens to kill me, and now he threatens MY PEOPLE!? I've had it with him! I will kill off his whole Clan and his allies if that's what it will take to beat him. I will-"

"Hvitserk!" Magnus interrupted, laying a hand on his shoulder as the young Jarl sighed, stuttering in his exhale.

"Gah... I'm sorry." he replied, shaking his head. "It's just that Karvein has threatened to kill me one too many times, and now he is threatening to go after my people… I can't defeat him alone. My army is not enough."

"...You won't be alone in this fight." Hiccup said, leaning his head closer to the Viking. "My army is right now making its way here to meet with us. We flew ahead of our allies this morning before they began their march, though it will take some time until they are able to reach us."

"And how many do you have?" Hvitserk asked.

"Over two thousand." the young lad nodded. "What about you?"

"A thousand five hundred. That's all I have."

"Then combined together, we will outnumber Karvein." Hiccup stated, leaning back into his chair. "The Tribes will arrive here tomorrow at most, but for now we will have to wait. If anything, Karvein will have his eyes peeled on Ravengard, and we'll have to be ready for him."

"We _will_ be ready." replied Astrid. "As my blood continues boiling, so does my fighting spirit. And if battle full-on is what it will take to defeat him, then I will be ready to fight."

"I'll fight too." said Snotlout who was spinning a dagger against the table from it's tip. "It's better than having to scoop up Dragon poop all day."

"Then I guess it's settled." said Magnus as he grasped his hands together. "For now, we'll have to stay on guard. We know when Karvein will make his next move, and once we're ready, we'll take the fight to him before he can."

"Aye." replied Hiccup. "But let's just hope we know what we're dealing with…"

* * *

 **What did you guys think? Have any thoughts on this chapter? Feel free to leave a review, and I hoped you enjoyed!**


	58. A Symphony of Lightning

**Just wanted to pop a quick note and say that for this chapter, we will once again go back to Berk's POV before once again switching back to Hiccup's POV, but I will say that this will go on for a certain number of chapters until one of the final major battles - however, that will be something to see soon!**

 **Now without further ado, let's continue!**

* * *

The horn blew throughout the village of Berk as warriors and citizens who willing heard the call to arms marched to the Arena by the hundreds.

Their motivation from Gobber's speeches the other day had now set their minds to focus on accomplishing one sole purpose for Berk, and one alone:

To train and bond with Dragons, and end the war that Ivar began which nearly brought ruin upon them. By extent, this would bring a new era of peace to the whole Archipelago.

But even with such big support, it was clear that it would not be an easy goal to accomplish, especially since not many of the people understood training Dragons as well as Hiccup.

From above, Gobber and the Council watched as the warriors and townsfolk poured into the Arena like a tide, but as the old smithy gazed down at them, he shook his head and grunted in a sigh.

"Quite tha crowd… but they aren't prepared fer what's ta come, and have much ta learn... They're not ready."

"Not ready?" asked Spitelout. "If they're not ready now then when will they be ready? We need to train as many Dragons as we can and as soon as possible, and either way we still need to go to the aid of those young lads and lasses - and Snotlout! My son is-"

"Fer Gods' sake! Did ye not say tha' yer son was a valiant warrior, Spitelout?!" glared Gobber. "Even without yer 'elp, he slew more foes than ye ever had, especially when he fought at tha Battle o' Shattered Spears against tha Murderous Tribe. Ya're doubtin' yerself an' ye are too hasty."

"Aye, he's right." nodded Sven. "Plus, _if_ we act too hasty, we could still risk our people. And besides, these three hundred men and women who are willing to fight for us cannot alone dent the Great Heathen Army which has almost _tens of thousands._ We still need time, and we need Dragons."

Spitelout sighed, nodding. "Fine… How much time do we need?"

"At least a month o' so, maybe less than tha'. But by month's end, I expect every single Viking here ta own a trained Dragon. I will teach 'em all myself how ta train one."

"Seems like a bold task." replied Mulch. "But there's a small problem. We don't know where 'them Dragons in this blasted Archipelago can be found. For all we know, they could be anywhere."

"Maybe even here?" asked Bucket. "As long as they don't bite, I'm fine with it!"

"That's why we're going to train them, Bucket." the shorter Viking sighed. "But even if we search Berk for them, it could still take days for us to-"

"Tha's why we'll split up when we're ready ta search." said Gobber as he crossed his arms. "But first, ye'll need help me teach these eagered lads and lasses how ta properly handle a Dragon. What class they want, what ta expect from them, an' so forth."

"And where will we search?" asked Sven. "As far as we know, there are little to no Dragons to be found around here. And the ones we find here won't be enough."

"We'll search fer them startin' in tha Northern oceans. If anything, there's a big chance tha' we'll find them there… but either way, ye all get tha point. Aye?"

The group of Vikings nodded at Gobber, responding with an "Aye." in unison.

"Very good then." he said as he spun his head to face back towards the hundreds gathered down below. "...Right then, we'd better not keep them waitin'. I say we get down ta business. We still have a war ta win."

…

* * *

 _ **The next day...**_

It came just like that. The sound of thunder boomed in the distance over the forests of Blackwood as if Thor hammered Mjolnir down into the earth, but not before a few flashes of lightning brightened everything around Hiccup.

And then, his sight settled in as the rain continued to lightly fall.

From atop the stairs of the Mead Hall, Hiccup along with Toothless gazed over Ravengard; able to see nearly the entire village from where he stood, as well as the trees off in the distance that blew to the breezing wind of the rain.

He sighed, giving a light exhale to the comforting chill as he warmingly wrapped his furred cloak around him like a blanket.

He then nodded to himself, looking down at Toothless who sat watching the view.

"Amazing, isn't it Bud?" he asked the Night Fury, catching a glance from him. "We're so far away from home now, that it seems like we could keep on going forever: Just flying further and further, you know?"

Toothless crooned, bowing his head in agreement as he blinked his eyes. He was clearly as interested in the view as Hiccup was.

The lad lightly chuckled, smiling.

"Who knows though?" he asked. "Maybe Dragons once used to go out this far hundreds of years ago… before any of us were here. Heh, wouldn't that be a thing."

Once again he laughed in amusement as he continued staring out into the distance, watching the rain fall and the trees blow to the wind. For a moment, his mind seemed lost to the view.

Just then however, a pair of footsteps caught his attention. And as Hiccup turned around, he saw Hvitserk walking towards him with his white furred cloak wrapped around himself.

He gave a nod to the young man.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the Jarl asked as he stopped next to Hiccup. "Years ago after Ivar gave up the war in Britannia, I wanted nothing more than to find a place to in settle and call home. I'd had enough of war by then... and so did many others who became eagered to follow me."

"So you came here with them to find a new home?" asked Hiccup.

Hvitserk smirked. "Aye. We separated ourselves from civilization, and from those who still craved war. So, we marched from Kattegat by the hundreds into the unknown, and we came upon this place. It seemed so perfect, that the people wanted to settle here."

"Huh, I can imagine it." Hiccup replied, grinning at the thought of it. "You said it yourself; it's a beautiful sight. Tall pines trees, distant fogs, light rain… Hel, even the land is more than suitable. It's no wonder you and your people were able to survive here and tame the wildlife."

"And it is also the reason why this village is so large." he stated. "Eventually, the population of Ravengard exploded as more were born, and more and more kept coming here who were willing to help make a place for our people. Hundreds even swore their fealty to fight for me, thus it is why our Clan has decent numbers…"

Hvitserk then softly exhaled, placing a hand on his forehead.

"...But with the rising Great Army threatening my people, it just goes to show how small we are. They and their Germanian allies will stop at nothing to subjugate my Clan, if not destroy it."

He then turned his gaze to Hiccup, looking directly into his eyes.

"If anything, you are our last hope. You and your Dragon."

Hiccup arched a brow. "Well, it's not just me alone. It's also-"

Suddenly, the sound of two pairs of footsteps stomping caught both of their attentions, and as they turned around, they saw Astrid and Fishlegs coming towards them as if they were in a haste.

"Hiccup." began Astrid. "We just came back from scouting, but we found something that you might want to check out."

He spun around to face her, giving her his attention. "What is it, Astrid? What did you guys find?"

"A Dragon." spoke Fishlegs. "We found it laying in the woods, but it's not alone. A group of Barbarians managed to snare it down to the ground with bolas, and now they're planning to cage it and take it to Karvein. It's in a rather deep situation right now."

"...This is not good at all." Hiccup said as he motioned his hand for Toothless to stand. "If Karvein gets his hand on that Dragon then he could forcefully bind it to his will and make it burn Ravengard. We have to get to it before we're too late. Fishlegs, where is it located?"

"To the East, near one of the rivers… but Hiccup, I wouldn't necessarily say that this Dragon would _burn_ Ravengard."

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Because this Dragon doesn't breathe fire." stated Astrid. "It's a Strike class Dragon, and it's one you've seen before… but not up close. Remember?"

Hiccup's mind instantly recalled back to what he saw in the Book of Dragons. Obviously it was not a Night Fury since he had so far not seen another one, thus it only left room for one possible Dragon.

It was quite clear now to what she was referring to.

"Wait, are you saying that Dragon is a…?"

...

* * *

They saw the Dragon from afar, struggling to move as it shook and roared from the bolas that kept it down. To Hiccup, it sent a shiver down his spine, but it also intrigued him.

Near him, Magnus, Eira, and Astrid stood hidden with their weapons drawn, along with Toothless who was accompanying them.

"A Skrill…" he shuddered. "So that's the Dragon that Karvein wants for his army?"

Astrid nodded. "Yup, and I can say for certain that it's putting up quite a resistance against those Barbarians."

Voices shouted loudly in the distance as a group of eight Barbarians and their captain stood guard around the Dragon, with two of them attempting to hold it down.

The captain grunted, looking at the two warriors who were making a poor effort at trying to pin down the beast.

"Halté es rünter you fools, hold it down!" he shouted. "If this Dragon gets away then Karvein will have our heads!"

"We're trying, sir!" one of them replied. "This damned beast is no push over!"

"Then show it that neither are you." the captain growled. "Now increase your efforts!"

Astrid, who stood from behind a tree, gripped the hilt of her blade tightly. "Those fools don't know what they're doing… We need to get rid of them, and now."

"But if we show ourselves along with Toothless, will they stand and fight, or run?" questioned Eira as she looked over at Magnus. "It's your call Chieftain, what do we do?"

Magnus arched a brow, gazing back at Hiccup who gave a nod of approval for him to make the first move.

"...I will strike first, then the rest of you will follow, and finally Toothless will attack last... Alright, now get ready."

A moment of silence followed as he just stood there, watching the Barbarians hold down the Skrill with their captain barking orders at them. But it seemed like Magnus wasn't going to yet make a move.

Then, something happened.

The sound of metal whirling caught the Barbarians' attentions as they spun to face the direction where Hiccup and the others hid, but unaware of their presence.

The captain took a step forward. "Huh? What is that noise-!?"

His words came to an immediate halt. An axe from Magnus was lobbed into his head and dug into his skull, and instantly it caused him to fall on his back to the ground, dead and lifeless.

The Germanic warriors gazed down on their now dead captain in horror, and before they knew it, an arrow flew from Eira's bow as it shot one of the warriors through the neck.

"AMBUSH!" one of them shouted. "To arms, to arms!"

The Barbarians unsheathed their weapons, ready to react and combat against their ambushers, but once again they were struck with another surprising attack as Magnus came rushing in towards one of them.

His blade rose above his head as he brought it clean down onto them, slicing his chest with a bloody mark before stabbing them directly through their heart.

Then, Hiccup and Astrid made their turn.

The two of them charged out from hiding with their swords tightly gripped, and they both working in unison as they slammed themselves into two other Barbarians, knocking them down onto the ground before they could even react, and with a quick strike through their chests from the young Vikings, they finished them off.

Now it was just four Barbarians left standing. Their axes and swords shook and trembled in tension from the surprising attack, but they were not yet willing to back down.

One of them spat, taunting Hiccup. "You think a cowardly blow makes you the better warrior of this fight, scrawny runt!? Let's see how long you will last when you fight against us who have-"

"Enough of your chat, Barbarian!" Hiccup interrupted as his head tilted to the side, bellowing out a command.

"Plasma blast, Toothless! NOW!"

The Night Fury jumped out from behind the trees. His mouth quickly lit up with purple fire just as Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus and Eira leaped out of the way in time.

With one blast, Toothless sent the Barbarians flying back in flames as they rolled on the ground in pain and slowly burnt to death, with not even the falling rain being enough to put out Toothless' fire.

After their screams stopped, Hiccup and the others recovered, standing to their feet and dusting themselves off as their eyes fell upon the bloodied and burnt bodies of the dead Barbarians.

"This was a gruesome ambush, I must say." said Astrid as her eyes gazed over towards the Skrill that laid pinned down. "But we're still not done here."

"Aye, we're not." nodded Magnus. "Allow me to do the honors."

He unsheathed a dagger from his boot, turning to face the pinned down Skrill who was now looking up at Magnus, but it looked at him with neutral eyes. He then proceeded to walk over to it, making each step forward slow until he finally stood before the mighty Dragon.

Hiccup, Astrid, and Eira watched with interest, wondering how the Dragon would react to Magnus, or even what it would do after it was let loose.

Magnus kneeled to the Skrill's level, staring down at each of the bolas as he began cutting at their ropes, and with a final cut on the last bola, the creature was free and let loose.

He then slowly sheathed his dagger back into his boot, straightening up to his feet as the Skrill began to stand up to the Viking's level. Both of their eyes were now locked directly onto each other's, but the Dragon still did not seem aggressive.

It continued staring at Magnus with neutral eyes, inspecting him from head to toe without much of a reaction.

Curiously however, he held his hand out to the Skrill, slowly closing his hand in onto it's head without being hasty. In response it backed up, letting out a light but loud huff of air from it's nostrils which made Magnus jump back.

And before he knew it, the Dragon swiftly flew off with a loud roar that echoed throughout the woods.

As the group watched it ascend into the air, a great flash of lightning followed as the Skrill's body became enveloped in electricity, and when the bright flash cleared, they gazed back up at the sky.

It was gone.

Hiccup rose a brow, looking over at Magnus. "What was that?"

"I- I don't know." he replied. "For some reason it didn't want to attack me. It's eyes didn't look at all aggressive, and out of the blue I just… felt the urge to put my hand out."

"Hmm… maybe you were trying to bond with it?" asked Astrid who was still gazing up.

Hiccup shook his head. "That's impossible." he replied. "Skrills are among the most dangerous Dragons out there from what I read in Bork's notes. How could he-"

"Maybe it _is_ possible." Eira stated. "After all, we don't know _everything_ about Dragons, and there is still so much for us to learn. If anything, perhaps that Skrill sensed something in Magnus that none of us have."

As her idea began to sink in, Hiccup's eyes gazed down at Toothless. His mind spun with interest in Eira's statement.

"Wait- you mean like how Toothless and I with our bond are unlike the others?"

She nodded. "Exactly. Why do you think he chose you and no one else? You have a trait that no other Viking on Berk has, or even in the world for that matter. What makes you two special is who you are… so maybe something is growing between that Skrill and Magnus."

"It's hard to say." answered Magnus. "That Skrill has only just met me, and Hiccup and Toothless have known each other for nearly two months."

Astrid nodded. "That may be true, but I bonded with Stormfly the day we met each other. Unexpectedly, I found her rolling in the grass that day when I found her. It was a bit strange."

"Well, then who knows." shrugged Hiccup. "Maybe you two are off to some good start. It could be that you're-"

His words were suddenly cut off as the sound of a distant horn caught everyone's attention. As their heads turned to the west, they heard it get louder and louder before a series of familiar horns then followed.

Hiccup's brows rose with surprise. "Well, it looks like I was right. One day passes and they're already here."


	59. Rallying Up

**For this particular A/N, I don't have much to say aside that this chapter is the spark for what's going to happen next chapter, and that spark will turn into a bonfire. However, you guys will just have to wait and see! But for now, I hope you guys will like this one!**

 **And of course, thank you guys for all the support so far!**

 **Now then, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Right everyone, fall into formation!"

Stoick's voice bellowed as rank upon rank of Vikings marched into position outside Ravengard, ready to be addressed to their Chieftains whilst a number of voices were shouting out orders.

From atop the ramparts, the guards of Ravengard watched with slight tension, as well as concerned as to what was going on.

"Who are they? Are they planning to siege us?" one of them asked, looking anxiously.

"Do they plan to starve us out?" another questioned, tightening the grip on his axe.

Though their voices were low, Stoick from down below noticed the silent commotion, and he rose a brow as his eyes glanced up at the guards from atop the wall.

'What are they doing?' he thought to himself, not knowing that they were actually somewhat anxious of his arrival.

And so, he took a step forward, giving a friendly wave to them.

"Greetings!" he shouted. "I come on behalf of the Tribes of the Archipelago, and I have come to see my son and your Jarl!"

The guards looked at each other in confusion, now wondering if the Vikings that stood before them weren't actually their enemies.

"Archipelago?" one man's voice spoke up in question. "And... a son?"

"Aye, my son Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III! He came here recently with his friends from atop their Dragons! ...If you could, could you please bring both him and your leader out here?"

There was a moment of silence. No answer came from the guards except for the drizzling rain falling. Instead, they simply just stared at Stoick, uncertain if he was truly addressing who he was.

But then, someone rose their voice up to speak.

"How do we know we can trust _you?_ For all we know, you could be working for that lunatic Ivar and his crazed army of outsiders! We've been attacked by Barbarians who don't come from these lands, and you think you can just walk in and demand that we let you see our leader? You have no right to-"

"Enough!"

A sudden voice of authority immediately interrupted the guard as the sound of multiple pairs of footsteps from the other side caught the warriors' attention.

They looked down, seeing Hvitserk looking back up at them, scoffing in disappointment at them. With him were Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, the Twins, and Sigurd.

"Next time there is a situation, you leave it to me to handle it. Now open the gates! I want to speak with our visitor myself."

On command, four guards ran over as they slowly pulled the large gates opened, revealing Hvitserk's face to Stoick as he and the group walked forward.

They took a few paces before stopping a some feet away from Stoick.

The Chieftain stared at the young Jarl, intrigued in his appearance.

"A bit younger than I expected…" he commented. "But I assume you are the one Sigurd told me about?"

"That's right." the lad replied. "My name is Hvitserk, and I am the Jarl of this town which you stand before. It's called Ravengard, and it's my home."

Stoick nodded with a smirk. "I see… A beautiful place I must say. But if I may ask, what was your answer to Hiccup's offer for alliance? Did you-?"

"Yes. I accepted, and I accepted willingly. I want to stop Ivar as much as Hiccup does, but I have to first deal with Karvein and his Barbarians who have been recently harassing my people. That Germanic wretch has to go."

"Indeed." said Stoick. "So… I guess that makes us both allies then?"

"Aye, it does." Hvitserk replied as he stuck out a welcoming hand.

Stoick responded by sticking out his own as well as they both grasped each other's hand for a firm handshake.

"It's good to have you with us." Stoick said as their grip separated. "Now… if I may ask, where's my son?"

"He left about half an hour ago or so." said Snotlout, standing behind Hvitserk. "Fishlegs and Astrid found something, so he went with her, and Magnus and Eira to investigate- as well as with Toothless. So far though, I don't know where he-"

"Dad!"

The familiar voice of Hiccup caught everyone's attention as he came running into view with Astrid, Toothless, and Magnus and Eira at his side. All of them breathed heavily.

As they stopped in front of Stoick, panting to catch their breath, the Berkian Chief approached his son and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Son!" he said. "What happened? Is there something wrong?"

He shook his head, standing up straight. "No, there's nothing wrong… but we found something that you might want to hear about."

" _Something?_ ...What did you find out there, Son?" asked Stoick

"A Dragon, and a unique one I should say... Though I think it's best we discuss this somewhere more quiet, it's something that only you and the others should hear. Hvitserk, can you get the Chieftains settled in with Sigurd?"

"Aye, I'll see what I can do." he said.

Hiccup nodded. "Very good. Now Dad, as I was saying…"

…

* * *

"A Skrill?"

They all sat around a table, and Stoick, Snotlout, Heather, and the Twins spoke up in unison upon hearing that name, echoing throughout the hall.

"Aye, a Skrill." said Hiccup. "When we found it, the Barbarians pinned it down and planned to capture it. They wanted to take it to Karvein so that he could use it against not just us, but particularly Ravengard."

"Against this town?" asked Stoick. "But why a Skrill? He has an entire army that could have destroyed this whole village before we even arrived."

Hiccup shrugged. "Ivar has possession of a few Dragons that we have thus far not seen, but even I don't know why Karvein would want one for himself. Unless he wanted a Dragon as much as Ivar did?"

"To me, it seems like he envies Ivar's influence over Dragons." answered Magnus with his arms crossed. "The fool is not familiar with them as much as we are, and he believes that the only way to have a Dragon is to control it by force. But…"

Magnus stopped short of his words, looking down at his feet whilst he was thinking.

Stoick leaned forward in his seat. "What is it, Magnus?"

"...I think the Skrill nearly bonded with me or something." he finally responded. "I saw something in its eyes that I did not expect to see, and it seemed almost as if it was on friendly ground with me. When I freed it, it did not want to attack me, and I still wonder to myself why it gazed at me that way."

Eira, who sat next to him, chuckled as she lightly took one of his hands, pulling it closer to her and holding it in both her hands.

"That's because you were the one who saved it." she said. "You killed the captain with the first move in one blow, and you were the first one it saw when you charged out. As I said before, it likely saw a trait in you that none of _us_ have, and you should be proud of yourself for having it. Hm?"

"Hm, I guess so." he shrugged. "It's just that I'm uncertain, alright? Who knows where that Skrill has flown off to, or if it will ever return."

"Someday, maybe." said Hiccup. "Toothless returned to me when we first met, so I think it would make sense if he returned to you."

"He?"

The lad nodded. "Well yeah, he's got to be a male or female, hasn't he? And from how I saw it's features, that Skrill looked more like a male than anything."

"Hm, makes sense… but the point being is, where has _he_ gone? He could be anywhere in Blackwood, maybe even hunting down the Barbarians."

"Most likely he'd be doing that." Astrid stated as she glanced at a nearby brazier.

"Skrills are known to have little forgiveness for their predator, so most of the time they'd go after them. In this case, that Dragon is going after Karvein's allies, and if I stand correct, then that Skrill has just made the predator into his prey."

"Oh my." Heather lightly gasped. "Now things have really escalated."

She gave a nod. "Aye, and it probably won't end there. At least, not until most, if not all of the Barbarians lay dead. If anything, Karvein is just a nuisance to many who aren't seeking a fight, and because of his actions, his enemies are bringing the fight _to him._ "

"So… in other words, he screwed himself over?" asked Tuffnut. "I means there's the Skrill, our new allies, the enemies he pissed off…"

"Tuff, _we're_ his enemies." sighed Heather. "And besides, despite how we approach him, we are still going to beat him one way or another; even the field is already planned out."

Tuffnut giggled. "Good. I can't wait to see some blood on his face."

"Not unless I make him bleed first!" shouted Ruffnut as she dramatically unsheathed her sword, to which Tuffnut cringed.

"Ugh, you're so over-dramatic." he said.

Hiccup sighed, facepalming himself. "Guys, let's get back on topic, please? We need to- ...wait, Heather - did you just say that you already have the battlefield planned out?"

She nodded. "I did, but really it isn't anything special."

"I want you to tell me about it regardless… I want to know where we're going to fight."

"...Alright." she sighed. "If you must know, we have devised a plan to fight the Barbarians in an open area rather than in the woods directly since one ambush from them could annihilate our forces. But the location will need to be deforested."

"Deforested?" asked Hiccup. "...Huh, it does make sense. After all, the Barbarians won't have an advantage at ambushing us."

"But they'll still have cover." stated Magnus. "We can't just deforest the entire Blackwood Forest. And besides, they'll likely hide behind the woods that will remain standing on the other side of the field, taunting us."

"So how do we get them to charge at us in the open?" asked Stoick. "We can't just taunt them that easily. They'll still mock us whilst we stand doing nothing but what they are doing. It would make us no better than them."

Magnus gestured in agreement. "Aye. And thus, we'll have to pull them out from a far range… but we'll need catapults and other kinds siege weapons since our Dragons alone won't be enough. We'll burn the forest behind them to cut off their retreat, forcing them to fight us."

"And then once Karvein is out in the open, we can cut the head off the snake and end him." stated Hiccup as he stood from his chair. "The faster we succeed in this, then the faster this war will end. Ivar won't stand a chance once he finds himself outnumbered and without his allies… but for right now, we need to-"

His words were suddenly cut off as the doors of the Mead Hall swung wide opened, and in came marching Hvitserk with two guards and Sigurd at his side. They looked troubled.

"Hiccup." said Hvitserk. "I need you outside with me, right now."

The young Viking looked at the Jarl with confusion. "What is it, Hvitserk? Is there a problem going on with the other Chieftains?"

He shook his head. "No, they've been settled in as you asked me to. But right now we have a different situation on our hands… A entire regiment of Barbarians stand outside our gates, unarmed."

"How many are there?" Hiccup asked him.

"At least three dozen. But they didn't come here without reason. They've come here to discuss terms with us."

…

* * *

The gates slowly opened as Hiccup and the others hastily made their way outside to the front of the village, and before them, a well organized regiment of thirty six Barbarian warriors stood in formation, unarmed with their weapons sheathed.

To Hiccup, the look of their bronze and iron helmets caught his attention, but not as much as the two noticeable figureheads that stood before him, both of them wearing black furred cloaks and dark lamellar armor.

They stepped forward, giving dirty grins to the group.

"Now then." one of them said. "If you will not interrupt me, then allow me to introduce myself and my ally here. I am Wulfrin, Chieftain of the Black Blade Tribe, and this right here is Adulmar, Chieftain of the Red Horse Tribe. We have come to state our terms to you under Karvein's orders. Specifically, terms of surrender."

"And whose surrender might you be talking about, Barbarian? Yours?" asked Stoick.

"It is not _our_ surrender, Archipelago pig. That would be your surrender." spat back Adulmar. "Either way, hear us out before you make me gut you."

Hiccup nodded, crossing his arms. "And what are your terms, Barbarian?"

"...The High Barbarian Chieftain knows that you are here, Hiccup Haddock. Oh yes, we know who you are, and we know why you are here. You want to save your friend Hvitserk here from annihilation."

"Unfortunately, even with your Dragons, you are not safe from our gaze." Wulfrin responded as he gestured towards Toothless and the other Dragons.

"Thus, we give you Hvitserk - two final choices. Hand over Hiccup and the rest of his pitiful Vikings to us for Ivar and the Great Viking Army, and announce your loyalty to him. Your treason against us will be excused, and your people will not have to die."

"Or…" said Adulmar. "Refuse, and you can watch as your precious village burns to the ground by the thousands Karvein commands. Our arrows will rain death over your people, and we shall soon have Devastators that will bring forth fire and destruction over Ravengard. You know you cannot escape it."

"You know you cannot win."

Hvitserk was angered by the Chieftains' words, and what bothered him more was that they had the guts to march to his village, undermanned, and unarmed just so that they could threaten him and his people. For him, that was the last straw.

Even the others glared at the two Barbarians and their warriors with hate in their eyes.

"Exactly how stupid can you two muttonheads be?" Snotlout spat, stepping forward with his hand on his sheath. "You come to OUR ally's doorstep, and you demand him to surrender what does not belong to you? We have Dragons that have blown up more Devastators than your Slavic allies could possibly create, and they have killed your warriors by the hundreds."

"And yet our allies have Dragons too you know." laughed Wulfrin. "Soon, all oppression against Ivar will perish under his boot. Either you stand with him, or you stand against him."

"And when exactly would that fool ever begin to give us such a choice?" asked Astrid. "When was that choice ever given to _us_ when he invaded our home!? He nearly destroyed everything that stood in his way, and he left our islands in ruin. If anything, I would leave him and his damned army ruined!"

"Agreed." said Sigurd. "I speak for Hvitserk as he speaks for me. And if anything, our answer to you is no. We will not surrender until all of you lie defeated beneath our feet."

Adulmar scoffed. "Hm, if that is your choice, then I guess we're done here. We'll send word to-"

"No" interrupted Hvitserk as he slowly unsheathed his blade. "You are not going anywhere."

The young Jarl rose his sword up into the air as he motioned the group to back up, and from atop the village's walls, dozens of archers ran into position with their bows in hand. As they quickly got into place, they pulled their arrows back on their strings and aimed it down at the two Barbarians and their warriors.

Then, with one single swipe from Hvitserk, the archers let loose their arrows.

…

* * *

 _ **Nine hours later…**_

Hvitserk went on a rampage after what he did. His hate grew deeper than ever for the Barbarians, and with Hiccup and the Riders aiding him with their Dragons, they sacked one of the major Bloody Berserker outposts, leaving only a few standing for them to return and tell the tale to their High Chieftain.

And _he_ would not at all be pleased at the result.

Karvein stood from his seat around the bonfire, staring down at the small crate that laid at his feet with the heads of both Wulfrin and Adulmar inside it.

He grunted, staring back at the five warriors who stood near him at attention, infuriated.

"Let me see if I have this right." he began. "Hvitserk, who has refused my offer to invite him into the ranks of the Great Army, has killed two of my remaining Chieftains and the regiment that accompanied him, and you did NOTHING TO STOP HIM!?"

"We couldn't have done anything, Chief Karvein." one of them said. "The crate was delivered to our outpost this morning when the attack begun. Along with that, they burnt the outpost to a crisp until no hut was left standing. They only left us men standing so that we could take this news back to you."

Karvein's eyes widened in surprise, but also with slight confusion. "Which outpost did they burn. HOW did they burn it?"

"It was Axe Maul outpost that they burnt, Chief." the warrior replied. "It was the closest outpost to this village, more than six hours away from us. It housed over two hundred warriors."

Karvein nodded in note of it. "And how many survived?"

"Only a couple dozen of us. The rest were outnumbered and slaughtered by Hvitserk who was accompanied by… Dragons."

"Dragons?"

The man nodded. "Yes Chieftain. Dragons. Not only that, but they were ridden by a group of young riders who call themselves the Dragon Riders. They are led by the one you mentioned; Hiccup Haddock."

Karvein went silent. His head turned back to face the burning bonfire as his eyes reflected the roaring flames, showing the anger that began to grow in him.

"Hiccup Haddock thinks me to be a fool?" he muttered, clutching his fists. "Hvitserk first turns his back on me, and now he LEADS HICCUP TO ME!? THAT FOOL HAS TRIED MY HAND FOR THE LAST TIME! If I must get things done my own way, then I shall do so!"

"Your orders, Chief Karvein?" one of the warriors asked.

Karvein looked back. "Summon every Barbarian warrior in Blackwood and bring them _all_ here to me! Tomorrow, we shall begin preparations to march on Hiccup and his fool ally Hvitserk! I will put them down once and for all!"

"All?" said another warrior. "But Chieftain, isn't that a bit risky?"

"We've tempered and covered our blades in Roman blood in ages past." he said, gritting his teeth. "Hiccup and his lapdogs won't be any different. If they march against us, then let them come! I will have Hiccup Haddock's head on my axe when this is done, and his Night Fury's skin will make a good cloak for me…"

"Now go! Spread the order around! In two days, we march!"

The warriors gave a bow to their Chieftain, hastily making their way out of his Longhouse and out into the cold night of the village, knowing now that battle ahead was inevitable. It would either be victory, or death.

"Prepare yourself, Haddock." spoke Karvein. "Only defeat awaits you..."

* * *

 **I hope you guys are somewhat hyped, because next chapter will be a battle chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	60. A Barbaric Battle

**A quick note before beginning! The battle that takes place in this chapter against the Barbarians is a reference/inspiration of the initial battle from the movie Gladiator. It is not exact, but I thought it would be fun to make such a reference here and there of it in this chapter, and so I hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Now, let's see what goes down, shall we?**

* * *

 _ **Two days later...**_

The two Vikings stood from atop a hill, gazing over the deforested battlefield that was ready to have battle between Vikings and Barbarians in their thousands.

Both Hiccup and Stoick were slightly anxious, but were ready for what was to come nonetheless.

"Gah, there's still been no response from our message we sent out to Karvein." the Chieftain grunted. "Now I am beginning to wonder what happened to our messenger."

Hiccup replied only with a light shrug, sighing with a shutter as he stared down at the Vikings that were assembling in the distance, representing both the Archipelago Tribes and their new recent ally.

Stoick looked down at him. "Are you okay, Son?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine… it's just that I am a little bit nervous."

"So am I son." the Chieftain replied. "...At least, not for myself, but for you."

He looked up at his father, raising a brow. "Me? Why?"

Stoick stood silent, lowering his eyes for a short moment before looking back up at him.

"...I won't be fighting this battle with you, Son. It will just be you, your friends, your Dragons, and our allies."

Hiccup's eyes widened in confusion, looking at his father with bewilderment. "What… but- why? Aren't you always up for a battle? We're Vikings, Dad, and you're the Chief of Berk. We-"

"I know, Son." he said, nodding in agreement. "I know… but this war is exhausting me, and it's not because I am tired of fighting, but because I am aching to see Berk again. So instead of marching into battle with you, I shall be watching over you from up here in case anything goes wrong. It's time that the Vikings recognize their true leader, once and for all."

"...And it's time that the Hooligan Tribe sees who their true Heir to the throne of Berk is... You."

Hiccup's began heart pounding, not with nervousness, but with pride over his father's words. He was right. After all that the old Chieftain had gone through, he realized that it wasn't he that led Berk to victory over the many battles they won, but rather his son.

And now, it was time to see the next one won as well.

"...Thanks for the words, Dad. It really means a lot to me."

Stoick smiled. "Good. Then perhaps it's time that we-"

The older Viking's words cut off as the sudden chirp of a bird caught both their attention. As they gazed over at a nearby tree, they saw a bird hopping around on a branch, looking around at it surroundings.

But to Hiccup, the white and red colors of the bird made it recognizable.

"That bird is familiar…" he said in a low voice. "I saw it the day we marched Northeast to the Grey Plains to help you against Frode. Didn't think it would show up again."

As the bird gave one last chirp, it quickly flew off into the foggy distance as it disappeared completely from their sight.

Hiccup gave a sigh, looking back up at his father who laid a hand on his shoulder, lightly patting him.

"Anyways, I think it's time that we get this battle going. Good luck, Son."

The young lad nodded with a smile, before looking over at Toothless who was sitting patiently, waiting for his Rider to get moving.

"Alright, Bud. Let's get this over with."

…

* * *

The sound of horses whining echoed around the area as Berkian and Warsung horsemen made their way across the battleline, riding for the woods that stood on the side of the field.

All the meanwhile, the Vikings were forming up by the hundreds, marching into place with their weapons ready and equipped on them. Being positioned atop a small slope, they knew they had the high ground advantage.

Hiccup and Toothless, while making their way towards the Hooligan troops, glanced over at their allies, seeing how prepared and disciplined they were, desperately ready for another battle.

But as the two reached the Hooligan line, all of the warriors and maidens immediately stood to face their leader, looking at him with proudful faces as he continued walking.

On his left and right, they saluted him, addressing him as "Sir." or "General." surprisingly, almost as if he was more to them. After all, he was the reason they came so far.

Nearing the center of the battleline, Hiccup saw dozens of Vikings all around marching and running to their positions, as well as helping prepare their siege engines since near the back of the lines, there were catapults and ballistas being positioned.

Eventually, Hiccup spotted his friends from afar having a discussion, particularly with Magnus, Eira, Hvitserk, Dagur, Alvin, and Mala who seemed to be pointing out how they would lead their forces into battle.

Then they too spotted Hiccup and Toothless, and all eyes fell upon them as they both approached the group and their Dragons that stood near.

"About time you got here." said Astrid. "Our troops are getting impatient."

Hiccup smirked, crossing his arms. "Aye, and you're leaving them hungry. Good. That will make them focus more on the fight ahead."

"Tha' is 'f there's gonna be a fight." commented Alvin. "We don't know what tha enemy's gunna respond wif."

Mala nodded, staring out. "They may as well surrender now while they have the chance. They know that they can't win this one. We have the better equipment, and we have Dragons."

"That won't stop them from fighting us, Mala." Hiccup said, shaking his head. "The Barbarians will desire nothing more than to fight us, so I highly doubt they'll go with our terms."

"Agreed." spoke Snotlout as he stepped closer to Hiccup. "But so far, there hasn't been a sign."

Hiccup looked back at him. "How long has he been gone?"

"Nearly a couple of hours so far. But we don't know what's happened with him."

"Question is though, will they show themselves to fight us?" asked Dagur.

"We will see soon enough." responded Eira. "I must say though, we must give thanks to Hvitserk. Were it not for him, we would not have these catapults or ballistae."

Hvitserk scoffed with a grin. "I did what I could for you all. But now we must wait and see what the response from Karvein will be. If anything, he could possibly-"

"HEY!" interrupted Dagur as he gazed over at one of his Berserkers positioning a catapult.

"Warrior! I ordered you to move that catapult and the others near you forward, they're out of range-!"

"Dagur!" sighed Hiccup. "The range is fine. Alright?"

"...But what about the danger to our horses? The men riding them could be-"

He shook his head at Dagur. "The danger is acceptable. Agreed? As long as I lead them, they'll be fine."

The Berserker nodded in agreement, seeing that there was no need to make the order, and as the group glanced out towards the woods, a distant scream that sounded like a rallying cry caught their attention.

Then, a voice from afar shouted loudly in Germanic; "DU BIST EIN HUNDE! (YOU ARE DOGS!)"

Hvitserk took a step forward, squinting as he gazed into the foggy woods.

"Why does that voice sound familiar to me?" he asked.

"I don't know." shrugged Magnus. "But judging by how it sounds; they say _no."_

Despite the enemy's response, Magnus was able to spot the colors of a brown horse coming into view, and atop of it rode a headless rider.

Fishlegs shuddered. "Oh Thor… our messenger is headless."

"Aye, and it looks like it's definitely a no." said Hiccup.

As the horse continued riding closer to their lines, Hiccup then noticed a black-bearded figure in the distance coming into view from the woods.

He wore black furs, along with dark wool and leather armor, and in his right hand he carried a two-handed axe that looked ready for the slaughter.

His brows lowered in a glare, knowing who the man was:

Karvein, the Chieftain of the Barbarians and the Bloody Berserkers.

"And so the chicken comes out of hiding." chuckled Ruffnut.

Karvein stared across the battlefield, gazing directly at Hiccup who easily caught his eyes. His expression turned even grimmer.

His voice rose up once again, attempting to taunt his foes. "IHR SEID VERFLUCHTE HUNDE! (YOU ARE CURSED DOGS!)"

He then raised his left hand up, and in his grip he held the missing head of the messenger they sent out.

He threw it to the ground in front of him, then rose his greataxe up in the air. Behind him, hundreds and hundreds of figures quickly marched into position as his whole army came into view.

Once more, he shouted out a taunt. "DU WIRST HEUTE STERBEN, WIKINGER HUNDE! (YOU ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY, VIKING DOGS!)"

He then took a few paces back, still keeping his axe raised until he stood directly in front of his rallied warriors, letting out a bellowing roar that echoed across the battlefield.

Almost immediately, his entire army began roaring and cheering out taunts as they rose their weapons up and began swinging them around in a mocking manner.

Snotlout sighed, looking at the Barbarians without much expression. "They should know when they've already lost."

Hiccup spun his head to face him. "Would you, Snotlout?" he asked. "Would _I_ know that? For all we know, anything could happen here and now."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." said Magnus. "For now, let's do what needs to be done."

Magnus gave out a sharp whistle, and before him came two horses, a white horse and brown horse that both wore metal plated armor.

"Hiccup, Astrid, these are for you." he said as he handed the reins to the two young Vikings. "You'll fight more effectively with your Dragons at your side while riding these horses."

The two Vikings mounted their horses without problem, with Hiccup riding the brown horse and Astrid riding the white horse.

Hiccup then looked back at the others, giving them a nod. "Chieftains, get with your men. Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff, mount your Dragons and prepare to attack once we engage. Snotlout, you're in command of the frontal force. On my signal, unleash Hel upon these Barbarians."

They all nodded back at Hiccup, going their separate ways to prepare for the coming Helstorm.

The two Vikings then ordered their horses to get moving, and on instinct both Toothless and Stormfly immediately began following, making their way into the woods towards the horsemen that were positioned behind the enemy.

As Snotlout watched them ride off, he turned his gaze towards the men that stood near him, ready for orders.

"Prepare the catapults and ballistas!" he called out loudly. "Archers, make ready for attack! Warriors, form up for advance! Let's heat things up for these Barbarians!"

The order quickly spread from rank to rank. Warriors and maidens quickly marched into position whilst the engineers got to work on the siege machines, loading them with harpoons and barrels filled with tar that was ready to be lit.

The archers from behind Snotlout rushed forward into position as a line of fire was set down in front of them, lit by oil which would let them easily light their arrow tips.

While all of this was going on, Karvein and his warriors from afar were still waving their weapons around, constantly mocking the Vikings with roars and screams as they chanted, all in an attempt to taunt them.

Meanwhile in the woods, Hiccup and Astrid along with Toothless and Stormfly eventually met up with the horsemen who were looking eager for a fight, and furthermore inspired once they caught eye of them.

Hiccup rode his horse in front of the two hundred mounted Vikings, smirking.

"Vikings!" he shouted as they cheered back at him in unison.

"Today will be a day that will go down forever in our history! Nearly two months ago, Ivar made an ally with an outside force that had no place amongst Vikings, and now, we will get rid of them!"

He turned his horse around, unsheathing his blazing Dragon's Blade. "Hold the line and stay with me! Together, we will make it through this!"

Hiccup then looked down at Toothless, giving him a nod. "Now, Bud! Light the signal!"

The Dragon quickly obliged as he opened his mouth up and aimed towards the sky, letting out a bright plasma blast that would catch Snotlout's attention on the other side of the battlefield.

The young Jorgenson looked on both his flanks, raising up his hand. "Archers, light your arrows and prepare to draw!"

They obliged on command, igniting their arrows with flames as they knotted them onto the strings of their bows, ready to draw.

By now, Hiccup knew that his allies would fire upon the enemy at any moment, thus they had to get moving. He rose his blade up, ordering the horsemen to ride forward with haste.

"Stay with me!" he shouted.

As the archers and siegery on the other side of the field were ready to fire, Snotlout shouted loudly "DRAW!", causing them to pull their arrows back before Snotlout's raised hand then turned into a fist, and the order was finally given.

"LOOSE!"

The archers on command let loose their arrows, sending them flying towards Karvein and his Barbarians in a wave of fire.

At the same time, the siege engines fired their projectiles, and as the flame-lit barrels from the catapults hit the trees behind them, fire from them came raining down upon the Germanic warriors like a volcano.

The first volley from the Vikings resulted in almost a hundred Barbarians dead or wounded, but that alone would not be enough against nearly three thousand.

Despite the outcome, the siege weapons and archers still kept firing, burning the forest behind the enemy army which would in turn cut off their retreat through fear and strategy. So far, everything was going to plan.

After a bit of time passed, Snotlout then gave out the order for the whole army to advance.

"Archers, hold fire! All Vikings, ADVANCE!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire army, and Magnus, Dagur, Alvin, Mala, Eret, Mogadon, Bertha, Arngrim, and Snoore; all of them began marching towards the enemy as one, leading their Tribes with unison, and as they marched, Karvein continued roaring and mocking them.

It would not take long for them to reach the Barbarian lines though, but when they did, they were met with a massive volley of arrows that came flying at them - almost unexpectedly.

Snotlout, who stood at the very front of the line, immediately shouted out "SHIELD WALL!" which thankfully saved their lines as the warriors rose their shields up in front of them.

Every single arrow was deflected without a single kill, but that was only the beginning.

Karvein, who stood at the front of the line, glared down at Snotlout who was glaring back at him. He then swung his great axe down, and bellowed to his warriors;

"CHARGE!"

The Barbarians rushed at the Vikings in a massive push, crashing into them just as the shield wall was lowered, and as Snotlout engaged the enemy, he went directly for Karvein as both warriors clashed with one another.

From above, Fishlegs, and the Twins flew over the enemy from atop Meatlug and Barf and Belch, as well as with Hookfang. Their mouths were lit with flames, and as Karvein turned his eyes up - he saw more fire raining down upon his army.

Then, another unexpected thing happened as a roar from behind the enemy ranks caught many of the Barbarians' attentions. It was the roar of a Night Fury.

Through the flames came Toothless and Stormfly, along with Hiccup and Astrid as they rode through the firestorm with all of the horsemen at their side.

"FORWARD, VIKINGS!"

Hiccup's voice echoed as he charged, smashing into backs of the Barbarian lines with Astrid and the horsemen by his side.

Toothless and Stormfly, upon getting into combat, blasted their fire into the face of the enemy at point blank range, causing dozens of Barbarians to go flying back in flames.

Now the real firestorm began.

While the two Dragons fought together, Hiccup and Astrid both rode and fought side by side, cutting down any foe that had the misfortune of getting in their way, and from atop their horses, it was almost as if they were unstoppable.

"Huh, I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Astrid chuckled as she swung her blade at an opponent's head.

Hiccup smirked at her as he stabbed his sword through the chest of another nearby Barbarian. "Don't celebrate too soon! We still have a battle to win! For now all we have to do is-!"

"Help!"

Snotlout's voice immediately cut him off and caught his attention, and as Hiccup turned to face where his voice came from, he saw the young Viking going directly up against Karvein single-handedly, except he was losing.

Hiccup quickly whacked his horse's reins, shouting "HYAH!" as he rode with haste to save Snotlout.

The young Jorgenson, while fighting, was on his knees as he tried holding up against Karvein with his sword - who had his axe pressing down on him.

The Barbarian Chieftain chuckled in a dirty tone as he pushed Snotlout to the ground, landing him on his back.

"I told you that you could not win!" he spat. "Your foolish attempts at stopping me ends here! Blackwood Forest is mine, and soon, your ally Hvitserk will fall to my-"

"GRAAAGH!"

Hiccup's battle cry thundered loudly, catching the Bloody Berserker Chieftain's attention who was late to react, and was knocked down to the ground as the young Viking sliced at his left arm, causing a gushing wound to be cut across it.

He then quickly dismounted, helping Snotlout up who looked at him anxiously, but also tensed and bewildered.

"Are you alright!?" he asked the Jorgenson who lazily nodded back in response.

But the sound of groaning caused their eyes to shift back towards Karvein who laid there, slowly getting up.

Hiccup laid a hand on Snotlout's shoulder, gesturing for him to get back. "Take my horse, and go help the others! They need you more right now!"

Snotlout nodded, mounting atop Hiccup's horse as he quickly rode out of there with his blade gripped in hand, still eager to fight on.

"Win this for us, Hiccup!" he shouted as he rode away.

Once he was out of sight, Hiccup turned back to face Karvein who was looking straight back at him with a glare, gripping his axe with both hands.

"So," the Chieftain grunted. "The little Berkian pup shows himself at last! You were a fool to come here, Haddock! You are weak without your father, and if I can't finish off your friend, then I will kill you instead!"

"How arrogant can you be, Barbarian!?" he asked as they both began circling from across each other. "You are outmatched _and_ outnumbered! Look around you! Your warriors are dying by nearly the hundreds, and soon you will be beaten too!"

"NEVER!" he shouted. "I will never be defeated by a low-life such as yourself! Now come on! Let us see who the BETTER warrior is, _Wikinger!_ "

He rose his greataxe up to his side, rushing Hiccup with such a speed that the young Viking almost did not see coming, and as the Barbarian clashed, he felt his axe get caught off balance…

And upon looking down at where he struck, he saw that his axe was embedded into the ground. Hiccup barely dodged the attack, but he made it either way.

"Looks like you missed." the young Viking taunted as he leaped forward with his blade gripped, and with a mighty strike he sliced at the Chieftain's leg, nearly forcing him down to the ground.

But even that would not stop him.

Karvein tightly gripped his axe, pulling it out of the ground with what strength he had as he re-engaged Hiccup, now getting back into the fight even though he was now limping.

The two fought ferociously, and the fight seemed to be in Hiccup's favor. Knowing that he was out-strengthened, Hiccup focused more on using quick attacks that were efficient against the Barbarian - just like he did with Frode. He would dodge or parry back an attack from Karvein whenever he struck out at him, and if the opportunity was opened to him, he would attack the Chieftain wherever he seemed vulnerable; mainly his limbs in an attempt to slow him down at his attacks.

As for Karvein, although he was a great warrior, he was still arrogant and overestimating, believing he could win.

The Bloody Berserker would use heavy attacks against Hiccup in attempt to get the lad off balance, seeing as he had the advantage of putting weight onto him. And although he was stronger, he still lacked the skill and leverage to deal a blow against Hiccup. The most he had done thus far was get a few punches and bruises onto Hiccup, but that was it.

Overall, the fight still looked to be in Hiccup's favor, and as Karvein and Hiccup clashes their weapons together in a weapon lock, the Bloody Berserker was _about_ to go berserk.

"No matter how much I strike you, no matter what I do, you still stand!? WHY WILL YOU NOT YIELD, HADDOCK!?"

Hiccup scoffed, pushing back against Karvein's axe with leverage. "I have learned many things along the way that you nor Ivar could have ever learnt about. His arrogance has clouded his mind, and he has destroyed himself of his humanity! He is no longer a man! He is a monster! But no matter what happens, I guarantee you, he will die by my blade when the time comes!"

"NEVER!" Karvein spat back as his strength against the weapon lock increased, now slowly turning in his favor. "Ivar will never be defeated! No matter how hard you fight, your army will be beaten beneath our boots, and your Archipelago will soon fall before a rain of steel and fire! I WILL SEE BY MY HAND THAT YOU-!"

"SURPRISE!"

A surprising voice caught both Hiccup's and Karvein's attention. Merely a couple of feet or so above them, Tuffnut came flying in with Ruffnut atop their Dragon, and in Tuff's hand he held a mace that looked ready for a whacking.

And a whacking is exactly what he gave to Karvein as he slammed the mace directly into the Chieftain's face, sending falling head-first into the dirt with a few teeth bashed out.

As he struggled to stand up, he tasted blood spreading in his mouth from the strike Tuffnut gave, and upon looking back at Hiccup, he saw that the young Viking was no longer alone.

With him, Astrid, Snotlout, Magnus, and Eira stood with their weapons in hand, along with Fishlegs and the Twins who were now off their Dragons, ready to beat the living Helheim out of Karvein.

Not only that, but Toothless and Stormfly also stood by their sides, growling at the Barbaric Chieftain.

Magnus took a step forward, raising his sword up near his shoulder. "You have messed with the wrong Vikings for the last time, Barbarian. And now, you will meet your end."

The Bloody Berserker shook his head, anxious. "This- this can't be right!" he stuttered. "Ivar promised me riches after the war was over! He promised that we would win this war! He-!"

Karvein's words would immediately be cut off as a piercing roar echoed through the skies where Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch fought. Everyone stopped fighting, and all eyes looked up.

Above them, the colors of a purple winged-beast caught their attention as a familiar Dragon flew in with speed. _Lightning_ speed. However, judging by how Magnus in particular recognized it, he knew right there and then that the battle was about to come to a close…

Because the Dragon that flew above them was the Skrill.

Dagur, who still fought and stood, began to go hyper upon gazing up at it.

"Oh, my, gods." he squeaked, laughing in a berserking manner. "It's a Skrill! ...IT'S A FREAKING SKRILL! NO WAY!"

As the purple Dragon glared down at the field, its eyes fell specifically upon the Barbarians that were still standing and fighting, and just by looking at how many there were, it knew that they were _all_ in the right place where it wanted them.

The Skrill's body quickly lit up with electricity as it's roar bellowed like thunder, and with a mighty breath, it sent a large and powerful beam of lightning firing down at the Barbarians, causing those who were caught by it to scream and flee in terror as they were quickly struck down.

The power of it's lightning was so great, that not a single Barbarian in it's way survived the line of fire.

The Vikings cheered at the sight of the Dragon as it obliterated dozens and dozens of Barbarians with a single attack, and soon the fighting continued with the Vikings pressing the advance.

Karvein however still kept looking up, unable to express the feelings that were going through him. It was at that moment that he was feeling hopeless.

"...This is impossible." he said, glaring back at them. "You cursed dogs think that you can win!? I'll show you that-"

"Heads up!" Tuffnut laughed as he rushed Karvein with his mace in hand, hitting the large man directly in the stomach which knocked the breath out of him.

Karvein groaned in pain as he struggled to recover his breath, but Tuffnut responded once again by hitting him across his back, sending him towards Fishlegs.

"Come on Fish! Hit him with what ya got!"

Fishlegs crushed his hand into a fist, giving a firm but strong punch to Karvein's face and sending him back towards Snotlout who quickly replied with a kick to his shin.

"Ruff, this one's on you!" Snotlout called out as he pushed the dazed man towards Ruffnut, and she responded by head-butting the Barbarian's head with the use of her helmet, furtherly dazing him which caused him to nearly collapse.

But then, Magnus approached the Barbarian with both of his fists clenched tightly, and with two hard punches to his bloody face, the Chieftain fell to his knees, being unable to now muster the strength to even stand or look up.

He was now nothing more than a broken practice dummy to them.

As the group all crowded around him, Hiccup stepped forward, kneeling down to Karvein's level as he grabbed ahold of his hair and pulled his head up to face him.

Karvein coughed heavily, grinning at Hiccup. "You still haven't won." he said. "More will fight in my place… and I can assure you that Ivar will be victorious when he returns..."

"Not with your death." Hiccup said as he quickly thrusted his fiery blade straight through the Chieftain's chest before kicking him down to the ground as the life quickly left his body until he laid dead before them.

Karvein, the Bloody Berserker and Barbarian Chieftain, was no more, and with his death, so was his army.

Hiccup looked all around, watching as the Barbarians attempted to flee by the large dozens from being overwhelmed, only to be easily shot or cut down. The Bloody Berserkers, outnumbered and outmatched, were laid wasted all over the battlefield.

What followed was a unison of thundering cheers as the Vikings roared in triumph over their victory, knowing that another great blow had been dealt to Ivar, and that sooner or later, he would be beaten.

Hiccup exhaled in relief, looking back at the group as Toothless came over to him and nudged his head against his arm, causing the young Viking to chuckle.

"Another victory for us... and another defeat for Ivar." he said.

"Aye... and though this may sound dramatic, I must say, it's all because of you, Hiccup." nodded Magnus. "However, I doubt that Ivar or his followers will forget what happened here. Once they discover that we've won here, they'll likely further their efforts into beating us."

"It wasn't because of us alone that we won this battle though." replied Eira. "It was also thanks to our Dragons, and to that Skrill that came and-"

Looking up towards the skies, Eira gave a look of confusion as she saw that the Skrill was out of sight no longer there. It was gone.

"It's gone." she said. "Where did it go?"

"Don't know…" shrugged Hiccup. "...But maybe we'll see it again soon. For now, let's celebrate our victory!"

The group raised their fists up in the air, cheering to the sound of victory that spread across the battlefield as the Dragons roared proudfully. As they sounded in their triumph, snow began to fall, giving a comforting chill from the fiery aftermath that went down that day.

Even Stoick, who stood atop the hill, felt it. He gave a soft sigh to the feeling of the relaxing breeze that blew across the field, letting his muscles relax to relieving feel of victory.

They were one more step closer.


	61. Taming Thunder

**Just a quick note before we begin this chapter. After finishing the previous chapter, I decided a day after posting it, when I gained the influence and momentum, to go on ahead and make this next one, seeing as you how guys quite liked the last one. And thus, here we are!**

 **I will say that things in this chapter may nearly get "berserk" if you know what I mean, though I guarantee you that you will understand what I mean later on through this chapter!**

 **Now, let's move on with our story!**

* * *

 _ **One week later…**_

Hiccup's conflict against Karvein and his Barbarians had proven to have been a total success. With the sacking of the Bloody Berserker's village, the defeat of their Clan, and the death of their Chieftain, the Tribes of the Archipelago were one step closer into bringing down Ivar.

However, a larger obstacle now stood in their way.

Within the Mead Hall back at Dragon's Wake, Hiccup and the group were gathered - standing around the long-table and discussing the next move while they stared down at the map set down in front of them.

"This next fight is going to be tricky." Hiccup said as his finger scanned over the map. "We've managed to defeat two of Ivar's right hand Chieftains, but two still remain. However, we may need to change up our strategy."

"Why? What's the problem?" asked Astrid.

"Well for starters… we may not be able to face one Clan alone this time, but rather the two that remain, and at the same time."

"The Iron Wolf and Broken Axe?" asked Magnus. "But why can't we just- oh…"

As his eyes glanced down at the map, Magnus saw what changed Hiccup's decision, making him as well unsure. It was after all a hard choice to make.

From behind, Sigurd stepped forward, taking a look at where Hiccup and Magnus scanned the map.

"I see…" he said. "We can't hope to reach the Iron Mountains without having to cross the tundra south of it; the Arid Highlands."

"But why is that so important?" asked Snotlout. "We can just attack the Broken Axe Clan and their Chieftain first while we have the chance to-"

"It's because the Iron Wolf and their Chieftain would just march down on us from the North and destroy us." answered Hvitserk as he dragged his fingers across the map. "They still have better engineering than us, and their dozens of Devastators could tear our army apart."

"...Maybe not us." commented Sigurd. "But maybe _him._ "

His finger crossed over the map to a spot located between the Arid Highlands and the Iron Mountains, and in that spot was a large wooden Viking Fortress of some sorts drawn on it.

Hvitserk's eyes widened, almost mind-blown. "Oh no… he's in the crosshairs of the Iron Wolf and Broken Axe."

Hiccup rose a brow. "He? Who are you talking about?" he asked.

"...A friend of ours." replied Sigurd. "Someone who has the support and knowledge we need to defeat Ivar. But, if I stand correct, then both Chieftains - Vlar and Hjalmar, may soon attack him."

"We can't let that happen." spoke Fishlegs. "If what you say is true, then he is vital to our campaign. If Vlar's forces reach him first along with Hjalmar's Vikings in support, we'll lose the help we need to defeat Ivar. All our efforts would have been for nothing."

"Not unless we act fast enough." said Heather as she stepped forward. "We have Dragons on our side that are smarter and stronger than the ones they have. If we are quick enough, then we can reach this _friend_ of ours in less than a day. I say the Riders should fly to him, and our army should follow behind us."

"We have to." Sigurd nodded. "He's a greater warrior than Hvitserk and I. And if there's anyone who can help us in stopping that maniac, it's him."

"Then it's settled." said Hiccup. "If there are any objections to this plan, then please; speak your mind right now, otherwise you are free to go-"

"Wait!" interrupted Tuffnut. "I have an objection!"

Hiccup sighed, slowly shaking his head. "Yes, Tuff?"

"I say, that instead of flying to save this random dude, we should blow up the Iron Foundry! Sneak in, mess with their forges and workshops, and BOOM! We're done! And besides, I bet that guy could hold off against our enemy on his own without us. I mean, he _is_ in a Fortress-"

"Tuffnut that is the stupidest idea I've ever heard come out of your mouth!" growled Eira. "Unless you want to sneak into that foundry and go through all the defenses and Devastators that are set up, then you're clearly risking yourself for nothing."

"She's right." agreed Magnus. "We cannot go into the Iron Foundry without having to fight past through their heavily fortified defense. That Fortress is a giant blacksmith, always at work. Our best bet in destroying it would be if we blew it up with our Dragons while the Iron Wolf and their allies were focused on our allies. That way, they could not arm the defenses of that Fortress."

"But aren't the walls made out of iron?" asked Ruffnut. "Hellooo, it's called the _Iron_ Foundry for a reason-"

"Anything made can be broken, Ruff." Magnus interrupted. "And besides, it's also wood and stone you know. Either way, despite what we think about that damned Fortress, our plan is clear. We will save this new friend of ours, one way or another."

"Then it's settled." said Hiccup, sighing in relief. "You are all dismissed."

They all replied in a nod as they turned towards the doors of the Mead Hall, quickly emptying the room and making their way out until no one was left in the hall aside from Hiccup...

...And as well as Snotlout.

"Hiccup." he said as he turned back around to face him. "May I stay for a moment? I'd like to have a word with you about something."

He gave a quick nod to Snotlout, allowing him to go ahead and take a seat next to him by the long-table.

For a moment they would sit in silence, pondering on what to say - but Hiccup would be the first to speak.

"Is there… something you wanted to tell me, Snotlout?" he asked. "Something on your mind?"

"Sort of." he answered, leaning forward in his chair. "I just wanted to say that… I think it's time."

"...Time for what?"

At first, it would be difficult for Hiccup to comprehend what Snotlout meant. But then his eyes turned back at him, and he saw that he was filled with... pride.

"It's time to pass the reins on to you." Snotlout sighed, showing off a proudful look on his face. "Hiccup, since the day I said that I'd teach you about being the Heir of Berk, I watched you progress by the day as you led our people to victory over the enemy. You led us successfully against Karvein, and Frode before that. And after so much, up until this point, I can now say that you are ready."

Hiccup arched a brow. "Wait- what? But… I don't understand. You said that you'd teach me how to-"

"I lied. I never did." chuckled Snotlout. "You didn't need _me_ to teach you how to be Heir. You only need _yourself._ And that's what you did. You taught yourself through experience on how to take care of our people through a time of war. If you can accomplish that, then you can certainly accomplish it through peace..."

"...So, what do you say?"

Snotlout's words never inspired Hiccup so much. His acts of courage, strength, strategy, wisdom, and so much more had all led him to this moment where for the first time ever, he accepted himself by title for who he was. He clearly was no longer the thrall he was known for back in Kattegat. He clearly was no longer a runt.

He was the Heir of Berk, and for months, that title had been long overdue.

Hiccup blinked in shock as he looked directly back at Snotlout who still showed the same sense of pride to him. But surprisingly, the Jorgenson also felt unworthy of continously carrying the title of Heir, thus, he knew it was time to pass it on to Hiccup.

"I remember when it happened nearly two months ago, the exact day when I refused to become the Heir." Hiccup began. "But I won't turn down that title today. Now I am ready. This time, I won't let it pass."

"Then perhaps it's time to see it done."

A voice from nearby caught both Vikings' attentions, and as Hiccup and Snotlout turned around to face the source of it, their eyes fell upon Stoick who stepped out of the shadows, grinning with pride and happiness.

"D- Dad? How long have you been standing there?"

"I came in when your friends left." he said, making his way forward. "And after overhearing the entire conversation, all I can say from your response my Son is that I am proud of you. It is about time that the title passes on... Now, stand up and kneel. Snotlout, give me your sword."

The two Vikings nodded as they stood from their chairs, with Hiccup kneeling in front of Stoick and Snotlout standing by him as he gave him his sword.

Then, the Chief spoke as he made a saluting pose to Hiccup with Snotlout's sword.

" _Where one Heir goes, another rises. I hereby declare by the highest order of Berk that the title of Heir passes willingly on from Snotlout Jorgenson, over to my son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, who will go on to lead the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk to a new and brighter future after I pass, with my hopes that his reign as Chief will bring our people into the dawn of a new age."_

"Do you accept this burden, my Son?"

Hiccup bowed his head. "I do."

Stoick swung the sword down to his side as he gave it back to Snotlout, now looking down at Hiccup.

" _Then by Odin's blessings, I title you to be the Heir of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe for as long as you live. Long may you stand, Hiccup! Rise, Heir of Berk!"_

Hiccup quickly stood to his feet, grabbing ahold of Snotlout's right hand as he accepted the Viking's handshake.

The Jorgenson gave a light grin. "My father would have called me a fool for doing this but uh… I must say; congratulations."

"Thanks, Snotlout." said Hiccup. "Maybe now we can-"

The lad's words would be suddenly interrupted mid-sentence as the doors to the Mead Hall swung opened, and running in came Eret who was out of breath, almost as if he had something urgent to share.

Stoick looked at him curiously, making his way closer to the Trapper.

"What is it Eret?" he asked. "Has something happen?"

"...Sort of." he said breathily. "My Trappers just spotted a Dragon flying above Dragon's Wake, and it keeps flying in circles - almost as if it's waiting for something."

"Well, what is it?" asked Hiccup.

"It's a Skrill. The same Skrill we saw from the battle against the Barbarians. But that's not the worst part."

"Why's that?" questioned Snotlout.

"...Because Dagur is about to go Berserk over it."

...

* * *

All eyes were narrowed up towards the sky. The Skrill kept flying around like a lost bird, or as if it was waiting for something to happen. No one knew - not even the Chieftains, nor the group, and nor Dagur - whose eyes kept a gaze on it.

"Come on already!" the Berserker shouted. "Do something! What are you waiting for?! I want you!"

"I don't think shouting at it is going to help, Dagur! Just leave it be!"

Hiccup's voice caught their attention as he walked towards the group, pacing quickly with haste.

"And besides, if you're hoping that you'll be the one to tame it, I'm afraid that is probably not going to happen. At least, not through _screaming_ like a maniac."

"I disagree!" he replied as he unsheathed a miniature-crossbow from behind his back. "Our banners have the mark of the Skrill, Hiccup! It's my destiny to tame it, and I will do it even if it means-"

"Dagur! What are you doing?" interrupted Astrid, taking a step forward. "You're going to shoot it?"

"No… I'm going to shoot _at_ it to grab it's attention... Of course, I'll make sure it misses."

"Shoot at it and aggravate it!?" grunted Snoore. "That's crazy!"

"Think about what you're doing, Dagur!" responded Bertha. "You'll endanger us!"

"It's madness!" Magnus growled. "If you shoot that Skrill, it will attack us! We must find a way to reason with it! We can't just-"

"Oh shut up, all of you!" spat Dagur as he stepped closer to Magnus, almost angrily. "And _you_ Magnus, if you want to fight over it, then be a man and let's do it through means of muscle. Not your pathetic excuses and-"

"Wait! Stop Dagur!" Heather interrupted as she stepped in front of her brother with her arms out. "What would be the point to fight over a Dragon that isn't even rightfully ours? Can't you see that our Tribe's mark is the crest of a Skrill only because it represents _who_ we Berserkers are? It doesn't represent anything else - not the Skrill, and not some stupid calling to tame it! It's just _us_."

"...But sis. Don't you see that I'm just doing this for us? You, I, and-"

"What would I want to do with a Skrill, Dagur!?" she grunted, but not before lowering her tone. "...You're trying to make it look like such a big deal. Like it's some god. This isn't what we're all about, Dagur. It's the man that makes a Berserker what they are, not the Dragon... Please… just let it go."

Dagur sighed as he narrowed his eyes down to the ground, lowering his crossbow. He shook his head in disappointment, not because he could not tame the Dragon, but because he nearly lost himself and almost challenged Magnus, who he presumed wanted the Skrill _greedily_ for himself. But that was not the case.

"I- I'm sorry." he said, backing up. "I guess the craziness nearly got to me. It's just that I've haven't seen a Skrill up close in a long time... I guess it's just not my time yet for a Dragon."

Heather laid a hand on her brother's shoulder, nodding. "Leave it to someone else. Maybe there's another reason for why it's here."

"...Or perhaps _that_ is the reason it's here." replied Magnus as his eyes lifted to look up. "It'd make sense if the Skrill wanted someone else after all. Especially since I found it in the woods when we first arrived at Hvitserk's village, and after rescuing it - it had a strange interaction with me."

"What did it want?" asked Dagur.

"I don't know… but I intend to find out now. Everyone- stand back!"

"...Do as he says." Hiccup nodded.

Magnus raised his arms out, motioning for everyone to step back as he kept a gaze on the Skrill that kept flying around in loops, and once everyone stepped out of the way, it was only him in the center of it all.

Eventually, the Skrill did seem to notice this, and it slowly but surely stopped flying as it gazed down at Magnus who was staring back at it in intrigument, but also curious.

"I saw you before!" he called out, though he knew that the Skrill most likely did not understand a word he said. "I saved you from the Barbarians when you were caught, and you were there when we were fighting them! You helped us kill our enemy! But why are you here?"

At first, nothing happened. But his voice lowered in tone as he narrowed his eyes down a bit."...What do you want?"

A long moment of silence then followed. All eyes were focused on both Magnus and the Skrill who looked at each other almost as if their eyes were intertwined. Even Hiccup, being a nerd over Dragons, was heavily interested in the situation.

And then, it happened.

The Skrill swooped down from the air, slowly gliding it's way towards Magnus until it landed right in front of him, standing more than a few feet before the young Viking and Chief.

Magnus at the moment wasn't sure what to do, but when he tilted his head towards Hiccup, the lad gave a nod as he gestured with his head towards him and the Dragon.

Knowing now what to do, Magnus took a deep breath and slowly began making his way forward.

With each step he made, his boots gently sunk into the snowy dirt as he nervously eyed the Dragon. After walking midway, he then raised his hand out, though he kept it closer to himself rather than the Dragon so that he would not alarm it.

After what seemed like more than a minute, Magnus was soon at least three feet in front of the Dragon, and thus far, it was showing no aggression to him. The only signs it gave however were a few growls here and there, but nothing hostile.

Standing now a couple of feet in front of the Skrill, Magnus slowed down in his trail and came to a complete stop, keeping both legs by his side as his arm then slowly reached out to the Dragon, holding his hand at least a foot or so away from it.

Nothing happened…

...But then, he felt it.

A scaly feeling hit his skin as the Skrill leaned it's head forward with ease, gently placing it against Magnus' hand with its eyes closed, and as the Dragon pulled back, they opened up to reveal a surprising friendly look in them, showing now that both the Skrill and Magnus were officially bonded.

Hiccup stepped forward from the crowd as they muttered with silent and excited discussions on what just went down before their very eyes.

"The Skrill has become more than just an ally to you now, Magnus." he said, smiling. " _He,_ is now your friend, and he will be by you until the very end… Congratulations, Magnus."

"Well done indeed!" called out Eira as she approached the lad and placed an arm around him.

Magnus chuckled, nearly blushing. "Thank you, everyone. But if we're to celebrate this Dragon's welcome into the crew, we're going to have to name him."

"How about Striker?" asked Fishlegs. "Could suit him since he strikes out lightning."

"Maybe even Flash." suggested Astrid. "After all, everytime he breathes out lightning, the skies brighten up with it's flash."

Hiccup smirked as he rose a brow, looking back at Magnus. "It's your choice. Well?"

"...I think I'll name him Thorwind." he said, glancing back at the Dragon. "He will fly through the soothing winds, wielding the power of Thor's lightning that will strike our enemies down from the skies. Where we go, we will be by you, Hiccup."

Thorwind gave a quick look back at Hiccup, surprisingly bowing his head in a Dragon-like nod which would make the young Viking grin in amusement.

"Thorwind it is, then." he nodded. "Welcome aboard, Dragon Rider!"

* * *

 **New Heir, new Dragon... things are about to become more in our characters' favors!**


	62. Made Ready

**Just to announce for a quick A/N:**

 **I will say that for the start of this chapter, it may not seem like it is anything important at all. But I guarantee you that once you read to the end of this chapter, you may probably be mind-blown for what's to come in the next couple of chapters. And it will be a real blast.**

 **But for now let's delve into this one, shall we?**

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid watched Magnus from the stairs of the Mead Hall as he flew above Dragon's Wake atop his Dragon. The two Vikings smiled, seeing both him and Thorwind fly together through the windy sky of day.

"I am surprised they both got along." began Hiccup. "I'd never think that a Skrill would ever be tamed so easily by someone like Magnus. For such aggressive Dragons, Thorwind proves to be anything but that with Magnus as his rider."

"Aye... Well, at least not in all cases." Astrid nodded. "But still, that Skrill is one powerful Dragon… only question is, how will Magnus ride him without getting shocked?"

"Simple. All Thorwind will do is redirect where he channels his lightning, and therefore he won't strike his Rider. Along with that, I made a few adjustments to Magnus' saddle to help with it."

Astrid's brow arched. "You already made him a saddle? In almost a whole day? I guess that's why you slept late this morning."

"It wasn't a problem." Hiccup shrugged. "Either way, looks like it's doing wonders for him. I mean- just look at how he flies Thorwind like that."

And his words were not exaggerating when he said that. Up in the sky, Magnus twirled from atop Thorwind, as well as perform divebombs, curved turns, and even drops to where the Dragon would fall out of the sky before flying back up right when they neared the ground.

Either way, Hiccup was impressed with the new Dragon Rider.

It wouldn't be too long however until Magnus would come flying back down towards them, as Astrid would point out.

"Well, looks like he's now coming down." she said as they both watched him and Thorwind glide towards them, landing a few feet off before them.

As the older Viking dismounted, Hiccup and Astrid noticed a look of joy and satisfaction on his face despite him sweating and breathing from the intense flight - with the same going for his Dragon even though Thorwind was mostly exhausted.

"Awesome flight, Thorwind!" laughed Magnus as he patted his Dragon. "Perhaps next time we could work more on your drops though. We need to get as close as we can to the enemy when we do those."

" _Awesome?_ " asked Astrid. "That's a new word coming from your mouth."

"Aye. I guess the more I am around Thorwind, the more I see things differently." he shrugged. "For all I know, I could soon be talking like Hiccup."

"Heh, best you try not to though." chuckled Hiccup. "Just be yourself, and do what you do best. Lead your people, enjoy your time with your Dragon and your friends, and of course - enjoy yourself with Eira. You two deserve each other."

"Same with you and Astrid." Magnus gestured in agreement. "...Though I do wonder, where has she been?"

"Eira?" asked Hiccup. "I saw her by the Smithy this morning. I think she said she was looking for you, and said that Hvitserk wanted to see you. I don't know where she is now though, but I think she's-"

"There you are!"

A familiar voice caught the group's attention as they all turned their heads to see Eira coming up the hill with a smile on her face.

She approached Magnus with her arms out as the two young Vikings met in a lovely hug before they both exchanged a quick kiss.

"I was looking for you all morning." she said, patting Magnus' shoulder. "You weren't wandering off, now were you?"

He replied with a light giggle as he shook his head. "Sorry, love. I was busy practicing flight maneuvers with Thorwind here. Hiccup suggested that we get warmed up before flying out tomorrow. The fight against Vlar and Hjalmar will be intense after all."

"That's understandable." she nodded. "But right now, there's something else that needs your attention. Hvitserk would like to see you at your hut."

"What does he need me for?"

"Something about your weapon." she pointed out. "You gave it to him last night for him to work on, remember? You said that you wanted him to engrave it. He's done now though."

His eyes narrowed towards the direction of his hut at the bottom of the hill, almost widened. "If that's the case, then let's go meet with him. I can't wait to see what he has to say. Come, Thorwind."

Magnus and Eira were soon off as Thorwind followed behind, making their short walk down towards their hut which left both Hiccup and Astrid alone.

The two of them looked at each other in embarrassment, not sure of what to say now.

But then Astrid's voice spoke up.

"Um- have you seen our Dragons?"

…

* * *

"Alright, so you all know why you're here!" grunted Ruffnut as she paced around the room of the Mead Hall. "One of you took a sip from our Yak milk and ate _our_ breakfast, and we wanna know who it was!"

Her finger pointed towards Toothless, Stormfly, and Hookfang who were all grouped in front of her, looking curiously and confused at her, almost as if they thought it was some joke.

"There is no doubt that it was one of you!" Tuffnut replied in agreement. "Either one of you admit it, or we'll _force you_ to talk!"

Snotlout, who stood leaning against a wall, shook his head in disbelief as he eyed the Twins.

"Do you two muttonheads require an elaboration?" he asked. "None of them could have eaten your breakfast or dranken your stupid Yak milk. Especially not Hookfang."

"And what makes you think that Snotlout?" asked Ruffnut.

"Yeah!" Tuffnut nodded. "What makes you think that _your_ Dragon could be innocent?"

Snotlout sighed. "Firstly, Hookfang would not be guilty of anything if all he did was eat some damned roasted fish - as you two said it was. And secondly, Hookfang was with me for the _whole_ morning. What reason would you have for him, and by extent me, to come here?"

The Twins gazed at Snotlout with a look that almost seemed like they were busted, or as if they were trying to think up some sort of excuse.

Tuffnut looked around the room in embarrassment. "Well… we- uh…"

"Ruff, Tuff! What the Hel are you doing!?"

Astrid's voice bellowed throughout the room, catching both the Twins in an embarrassing position as they stared at Hiccup who came walking in with her. Along with that, it caught Stormfly's attention as she immediately went over to her Rider.

Hiccup's voice rose up. "Toothless. Come here, Bud."

The Night Fury gladly stood to his paws, quickly walking over to Hiccup's side whilst he gave off a glare towards the Twins before he sat down next to his Rider.

Hiccup sighed. "Ruff, Tuff, may I please ask why you have our Dragons here - and how exactly you got them here?"

Ruff gave a grunt, crossing her arms. "Fine! If you must know, we used fish to lure them here because Tuff and I suspect that one of them ate from our breakfast, and drank our Yak milk!"

"It's really nothing Hiccup." said Snotlout. "They're just wasting their time doing random stuff that's not in our interest, and nor is it important."

"Not important!?" asked Tuffnut. "How would you feel if someone else stole your roasted fish and-"

"And maybe you could just cook up another, Tuffnut." answered Hiccup. "Seriously, it's not _that_ big or important."

"Yeah." Astrid nodded. "And besides - for all we know, it could have just been your Dragon who ate it out of hunger."

As her finger pointed towards the corner of the room, towards a sleeping Barf and Belch, the Zippleback let out a gassing burp from both mouths which made a small flame erupt as a result, causing both Ruff and Turf to quickly get furious as their eyes looked back at one another.

"This your fault! You fed our breakfast to Barf and Belch!" shouted Ruffnut.

"Me!? Maybe it was you!" spat back Tuffnut. "You're the one who wasn't hungry to begin with I bet! You just wanted to Loki me for Yak dung!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

The Twins, now fully infuriated, began bumping heads into one another as their helmets clashed. They pushed against each other like bulls, and gave off childish slaps and punches at each other out of no reason. To the others in the room, it was all over nothing.

"Well, this is boring." said Snotlout as he stepped away from the wall. "I'm going to go feed Hookfang. After all of this nonsense he is probably hungry. Come on, Fangster."

The Dragon happily obliged, walking out the large doors of the Mead Hall whilst leaving the Twins sissy fighting over nothing.

Hiccup and Astrid then back at each other, shrugging in unison.

"Well, at least Fishlegs and Meatlug weren't involved in this." said Hiccup, glancing back at the Twins. "For now, let's just leave them be. Sooner or later they will stop fighting out of exhaustion or boredom. And besides, I have something that I've been wanting to show you."

"Really?" asked Astrid. "What is it?"

"You'll see. For now, let's get to the Smithy."

...

* * *

Astrid stood there, feeling the wind from outside hit her back whilst watching Hiccup rummage through the racks of weapons that were all sitting neat and organized. The young Viking was clearly looking for something.

"Hiccup, what are you looking for?" she asked, glancing around the large room of the Smithy.

"It's… something I worked on for a while now." he said, struggling as he looked through each weapon. "And I made it for you."

"Hm… And you're saying it's something special?"

He nodded. "Aye, and I worked quite hard on it. I assure you that it'll be something unexpecting once I show you what it-"

His hand suddenly fell on a familiar grip. As Hiccup took a closer look, pushing the other weapons out of the way, he smiled upon the familiar site of his work; made by his hands which would pass over into Astrid's. The large blade of the weapon glimmered from the light of the torches around, and the smooth wooden hilt with the initials _A.H._ engraved into it made him smile.

He tilted his head, still grinning. "Close your eyes, Astrid. This one's going to be a surprise for you."

Astrid gave a nod, closing her eyes shut whilst hearing Hiccup's movements until she soon heard his footsteps slowly pacing across the stone floor towards her. He then came to a stop, standing a few feet in front of her.

"Alright. Now hold your hands out - palms opened."

Once again she nodded, holding both of her opened hands out with her palms facing up. After a short moment, she felt something smooth and wooden fall into them, and as her eyes opened, she was beyond being surprised.

In her hands was a brand new axe, made just for her.

"What...? But- I didn't know th- how did you know that I wanted…"

"I couldn't bother but make a new one for you, Astrid." he said, giving an innocent but lovely smirk. "I remembered your axe was taken away by the enemy after they won at the battle of Skyrdok. And so, after some time passed, I decided to make a new one for you. It took some time, but after mixing the best metals I could find in the best way possible - I made this strong masterpiece just for you, to show how much I care for you. You deserve it, milady."

Astrid couldn't hold her feelings. She laid the axe down near her feet before leaping herself into Hiccup and landing her arms around him with a surprising hug. To her, it was quite overwhelming.

"Babe, this is why I love you."

Hiccup smiled, staring down at her. "Same here. But isn't it a bit too early for celebrating?"

"Maybe, but maybe not." a familiar voice spoke, causing them both to jump and separate as they turned towards the entrance of the Smithy.

Magnus stood at the door, giving out a muffled chuckle. "Was I interrupting? Sorry."

Hiccup shook his head, looking at him - slightly confused. "N- No, it's nothing... But why exactly are you here, Magnus? I thought you were with Hvitserk and Eira, or even Thorwind."

"I was, but after Hvitserk left to go see Sigurd, Eira insisted that I come here to see you... to show you what I have with me. Long and behold, it's finally ready."

"It?" both Hiccup and Astrid said in unison.

"Aye." nodded Magnus. "It."

From his grey cloak, he grabbed ahold of a sheathed weapon that Hiccup immediately recognized just by looking down at its hilt which was now painted light blue. It was Magnus' old sword and weapon; now reforged and made anew.

Hiccup gazed upon it, eyes widened as a strong wind blew into the room from outside.

"I call it Nördar, the Wind of the North-West; forged from the shards of the weapon you once carried, Hiccup. This blade from top to bottom is engraved with runes that are blessed by Thor for every fight and battle yet to come. I thought that you should be among the first to see it."

"Really?" asked Hiccup. "Well enough with the speech then. Show us what it's made of."

Magnus gave a firm nod - reaching over to the sword's hilt, and with a powerful but quick pull he heaved it out of its sheath, showing the weapon in its full glory with the blade pointing up as the winds from outside once more blew into the room.

The runes on the sword read out clearly in Norse; _**'Glory for Thor.'**_

"Wow. You really weren't joking when you said you'd go that far." Hiccup said, glancing at both the blade and Magnus who gave an prideful look towards his reforged weapon.

The young Heir then crossed his arms, staring back at both Astrid and Magnus.

"Well then... are you guys ready for what's to come?"

...

* * *

The air was filled with the un-easeful and restless scent of war as the mid-day sun barely shone through the snowy clouds. Smoke rose from the large stone chimneys of the Iron Foundry as forges and smithies from inside were working desperately - almost endlessly.

Vlar, who stood from atop a cliff with Hjalmar at his side, glanced down at the large gates of the mighty Fortress, gazing at all the warriors and siege weapons that guarded it.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" the Warlord asked. "Beyond those impenetrable gates stands one of the mightiest Viking forces that King Ivar's Great Army has ever had - ready to be sent out. Soon, they will flood out of this Foundry like a tide, and we will march together through these hills towards our enemy in the Southeast before we go to face that scrawny weakling; Hiccup Haddock."

"In Ivar's name..."

"In Ivar's name indeed." chuckled Hjalmar. "Once we first get our hands on that rebelling pig, I will put his head on a pike before we march South to face that nuisance Hiccup. He's been on our tails for far too long."

Vlar nodded as he crossed his arms, tilting his head closer to Hjalmar. "He's done more than that ever since he's continued waging his war against us. With Karvein dead, we are now on our own until King Ivar returns. We cannot call for reinforcements from Kattegat."

The Broken Axe Chieftain raised a brow as he kept his right hand running against the blade of his prosthetic axe.

"But that won't stop _us_ from fighting Haddock, now will it?"

Vlar shook his head. "Of course not. Even with their Dragons, our armies go beyond theirs. We have cannons, better equipment, and much more than what Haddock could have ever dreamt of... And of course, we still have men that are willing to fight and die for us. For Ivar, and for Odin. Together, we shall-"

His words immediately cut off as the loud sound of forges stopping and metal plates clanging caught his attention. His eyes fell towards the chimneys that were not too long ago lifting smoke up into the sky.

The Foundry stopped working completely…

Which meant _everything_ was ready

Vlar grinned with an evil look, staring down towards the gates of his Fortress that began to open slowly with a loud scraping and grinding sound.

He took a step forward, getting a closer look. "It's time." he said. "Now the real march to victory begins."

The Warlord reached down towards the side of his belt, unstrapping a horn from his waist as he rose it up to his mouth, and with a mighty blow he sounded the horn.

The noise it gave out bellowed and echoed throughout the area around the Iron Foundry, and at first it just seemed like nothing was happening…

But then they heard it.

The sound of boots stomping and marching gave way as both of the Chieftains' eyes fixated on the many figures coming through and out of the gates of the large Fortress in all of their glory.

Before them, an army of armored Vikings and Rus' warriors marched out of the Foundry in their thousands, representing both their Clans and their allied Tribes that still fought for Ivar. However, this was not just a regular army.

It was a legion.

As they continued flooding out of the Fortress, there were Devastators and dozens of other siege weapons at their side. But even after all of the minutes it took for them to empty out, it didn't finish there.

Vlar's gaze turned up towards the skies as nearly a dozen armored and winged figures flew over the heads of the massive legion with Riders on their backs. The beasts were all chained and bound to their will.

After seeing them for what they were, Vlar's eyes glanced back down at the army before he and Hjalmar mounted up on their horses to ride off, still watching as all _six thousand_ warriors continued marching out into the distance.

"And so the end comes... and with it, Ivar's victory nears…"

* * *

 **And now things are about to get real...**


	63. A Worrying Discovery

**Sorry about the delay guys! Something came up last week and I had to handle it, but it's all good now!**

 **For this chapter our characters will begin the journey North to fight the enemy, but as the title of this chapter reads, something will be brought up, but I hope you guys like this one!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(11/22/18: Made a correction in dialogue. Screwed something up initially, but it's fixed now.)**

* * *

"Come on lads, get your backs into it! Move, move!"

The morning came swiftly as the sun rose over the cloudy the sky around Dragon's Wake. The horns of war were blown, and time was starting to run short as rank upon rank of Vikings lined up into position, preparing for the long march ahead.

Much couldn't be said from Hiccup however since for him and the Riders, it would be a long flight.

From atop the stairs of the Mead Hall, he looked over the town - watching the Vikings make ready for the inevitable journey North.

His eyes however were fixed mostly towards his father who stood in the center of the town with the other Chieftains, discussing any further tactics for the battle yet to come.

Hiccup knew his father would be fine, but then he sighed, feeling his stomach slightly sink as he eyed Toothless who stood near him.

"This is going to be a hard one, Bud." he said whilst wrapping his cloak around him. "This next battle will be one of the largest fights ever against our enemy, so if anything goes wrong, we should stick together just in case."

"...At least, I hope nothing goes wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong as long as none of us are alone."

The familiar voice of Astrid caught his attention as he turned his head back to face the young shieldmaiden, and with her stood the Dragons and the rest of the gang, as well as Magnus, Eira, Hvitserk, and Sigurd.

"Astrid." spoke Hiccup.

She took a few steps forward, giving Hiccup a nodding gesture that they were prepared.

"We've done as you asked, and we've geared ourselves just as you wanted. We're ready to fly off when you are."

"It's best that we fly off as soon as possible." nodded Magnus. "The Great Heathen Army is growing desperate thanks to our efforts thus far. If we are successful in destroying both the remaining Clans that stand with Ivar, then he will be in for a surprise when he returns to Norway - whenever that will be."

"Aye." said Fishlegs. "More than half of his army will be wiped out by then. If we win this next one, victory could be ours within a matter of weeks. We'll finally be able to attack Ivar's capital, and then after that, we can go home."

Heather lightly chuckled, looking back at Fishlegs. "Wouldn't that be something? ... Unfortunately however, we can't be too hasty."

"We can talk about home after we're done here." replied Hiccup, now eyeing Hvitserk. "Our road is still long, and it's not over yet. Hvitserk, can you let me in on where we're going?"

The young Jarl nodded as his gaze turned North. "Currently our main course of direction is towards the boundary of the Arid Highlands and the Iron Mountains. Our destination; Strongholm, just as Sigurd and I have discussed."

"Then let's not delay any further." Hiccup announced as he quickly mounted atop Toothless. "Riders, mount up and prepare to depart. Hvitserk, you're with me. Sigurd, Heather, you two can choose."

Heather shook her head. "You don't need to ask me again."

She then proceeded to quickly dash towards Fishlegs who was mounted atop Meatlug, and with a helping hand he helped her up onto his Dragon, leaving the last option clear for Sigurd.

"...I guess I'll be right behind Snotlout then." he said as he made his way towards Hookfang before settling down behind Snotlout and atop the Nightmare's neck.

"Looks like we're finally ready." said Snotlout. "Let's fly as fast as we can. Otherwise I might get-

…

* * *

"-HUNGRY!" Snotlout sighed, irritated. "I am so… hungry!"

It had been some time passed since Hiccup and the others took off, and by now they were no longer flying over dense forest, but rather opened highlands of brown grass and falling snow.

Eira, who was sitting behind Magnus and on top of Thorwind, shivered intensely. Her eyes narrowed down to the ground, widened as she tried adjusting to his flight style.

"Magnus! Aren't you flying a bit too fast?" she called out, gripping tightly to his shoulders. "I think I'm going to fall off!"

"Thorwind flies this fast naturally, Eira." replied Magnus as his voice kept a calm tone. "Fishlegs tells me that Skrills are meant to be one of the fastest Dragons alive. Though not as fast as Night Fury, they are definitely a chaser."

"Easy for you to say! I'm not used to this!" she replied, still semi-freaking out.

Astrid's voice then called out to her. "Come on, Eira! You've flown with me on top of Stormfly before. How much different can this be?"

"...Very different." she said, allowing herself to slowly ease in.

Snotlout sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know about you, but flying is the least of my worries right now! My stomach is rumbling and I need something soon before I go coo-coo!"

Ruffnut looked back at Snotlout. "Hey Snotlout! While you're at it, why don't you start complaining about something else!? You're whining like a boar as if you didn't eat anything this morning!"

"I did, but it wasn't enough…" he grunted. "Never in my life have I felt so pissy over something like this. Why can't we just-"

"Alright. Stop!"

Hiccup's voice bellowed loudly as he rose a hand up in the air, gesturing for the Riders to stop their Dragons as he turned Toothless around to face them. Clearly he was uncomfortable.

He shook his head, glaring. "Right, so it's clear to me right now that some of us _aren't_ as prepared as I asked you all to be before we took off in our flight. Snotlout, how can you be this hungry after two hours into our flight? You've endured worse than this."

"...I simply did not have breakfast this morning." he said, letting himself calm down a little. "But I don't think I'll have the strength to continue if I keep acting up like this. There has to be a place where we can take a rest for bit, and maybe even grab a bite. Anywhere will do!"

"Like a tavern?" asked Tuffnut. "I mean, I _guess_ we could."

Hiccup sighed, glancing back at him. "Tuff, where the Hel do you think we're supposed to go? We're in the middle of nowhere, flying above the Arid Highlands, completely exposed. The more time we spend here bickering, the less time we'll have in reaching-"

"Look, all I'm saying is that maybe if you'd turn around and look, then you'll see what I mean."

His words caused Hiccup to arch a brow as he spun his head back towards the opened plains, and from afar he saw a small clustered area of forest with smoke rising from beneath it, and along with that, he also made out the shapes of two wooden structures.

Both of his brows now rose. "Well now, that is... unexpecting."

"See, told ya!" splurted Tuffnut with his arms crossed. "If anything, I think you should call me genius. Eh? Eh?"

There was no response. The only thing the group replied with was an emotionless stare at Tuffnut who in turn felt embarrassed, and so he backed out.

Then Hiccup spoke up.

"Alright gang, new plan!" he announced. "Let's land down below and inspect the area. From how I see it, there shouldn't be any enemies around here if we're lucky."

"And let's hope that what we're looking at is a tavern as well!" nodded Snotlout. "I'm way ahead of ya!"

Immediately, the young Viking made Hookfang bolt forwards without warning, nearly making Sigurd fly off as they flew fast towards the supposed tavern in the distance, and soon the rest of the group followed.

Eventually, they landed in an opening in the small woods with a pond in the center - suitable enough for their Dragons to stay out of sight and hang around in.

As Hiccup dismounted with Hvitserk, he gave a nod to Toothless, gesturing for the Night Fury to go rest by the pond of water. To this, the Dragon gave a look of confusion.

"This is as far as I can take you for now, Bud." he said. "If anyone spots you or the other Dragons, they could become suspicious on who we are. We have to go in there as if we're strangers, alright?"

Hiccup then turned his gaze back on the others as he said aloud; "Same for you too guys! Let your Dragons rest here. For all we know, there could be spies in that tavern."

"What!?" grumbled Ruffnut. "Come onnnn, we don't even know if there are any!"

"And nor do we know if there _aren't_ any." Astrid replied as she patted Stormfly. "We should all expect the unexpected, Ruffnut. Even if we don't know what could happen."

"Aye." nodded Magnus. "I'd say as well that it's safe enough to leave our Dragons here. Their warm bodies should be enough against this cold."

"Agreed." said Fishlegs as he watched Meatlug rest by the pond. "Our Dragons can stay here. It's safe enough for them out here than in there."

"Then it's settled." responded Hiccup. "Let's move out."

The group soon quickly began moving as they carefully made their way through the snowy woods, walking along a small road towards the tavern that laid up ahead of them. After not even a minute passed, they were right in front of it.

And just by looking at it, Hiccup could tell it was indeed a tavern, especially since there were horses stabled nearby.

Magnus lightly chuckled in amusement. "Reminds me of the tavern back in Kattegat that I used to go to. Although it looked grey and dull, it was definitely well built… I think it was called the Blade and Dagger's tavern or something?"

"Not sure." shrugged Hiccup. "But this one is named…"

"...The Golden and Brown Ale tavern… gah, can't they think of any better names than this?"

"Well, at least it will do for now." said Astrid. "Best we get out of this snow and get inside to take a look."

"Agreed." said Hvitserk. "I could use a good ale by now… as long as it isn't piss."

The group instantly proceeded to make their way inside, getting themselves out of the cold and into the warm tavern with the door swinging open on them.

Upon making their way in, their eyes met with a firepit and their ears caught the sound of tavern music being played. A dozen or so figures then caught eye of Hiccup and the others, causing them to almost freeze in place until Hiccup quickly realized that the people that all sat around were just simple patrons and travelers.

"Relax, guys." he said calmly as he continued forward. "They're all just patrons. Let's move on."

The others looked at Hiccup confused, but followed him - disregarding the people in the tavern who were back to minding their own business.

As they headed towards the wooden counter, a long blonde-haired and bearded man came into view, wearing a leather apron and carrying an empty mug in hand. He glanced at the Riders with a welcoming face and proceeded to greet the group.

"Quite the lot I must say." the tavern keeper said, motioning his hand towards the wooden chairs that sat in front of the counter. "Please, sit! There's enough for eleven."

They all silently nodded back, sitting along the line of chairs as they waited for the keeper. In order from their left to right sat Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, Eira, Magnus, Hiccup, Astrid, Sigurd, Hvitserk, Ruffnut, and finally Tuffnut.

For a short moment they sat there, still waiting for the tavern keeper until he eventually showed back up.

The man grasped his hands, staring down each of the young Vikings. "Now then, what can I do for you fine and young lads and lasses? Perhaps it's a warm meal you want? Or a nice ale? Just tell me, and I'll get you what you need. We have all kinds of food and drink here at the Golden and Brown Ale tavern!"

"We just want something to keep us well fed for our journey North." said Hiccup, showing off a friendly expression. "A leg of chicken and a small mug of ale will do for me, as well as baked bread."

"Same here." nodded Astrid.

"I'll have a cooked salmon fish, and some warm milk." said Snotlout.

"My friend Eira here and I will have stew and a mug of ale, please." said Magnus.

"Same." Sigurd and Hvitserk announced in unison.

"Us two will have a mutton of yak, and some water." Fishlegs said, gesturing towards himself and Heather.

"My sis and I will have boar ribs!" spoke Tuffnut.

"And two pints of ale!" added on Ruffnut.

The list seemed long, but to the tavern keeper it did not seem like something he couldn't do. He slowly nodded as he kept track of everything they wanted as a small grin appeared on his face.

"Alright then!" he said with a light hearty chuckle. "My cooks and I will get right on it, and I assure you we will finish in no time. Stay here - I'll be right back."

The man once again walked out view and made his way towards a room where the scent of food being baked could be smelled.

This especially struck the Twins as they both let out an "Aah…" of hunger.

After the keeper was out of sight, Hiccup, Astrid, and the others began talking and whispering among one another, keeping their voices low so that no one could hear them.

Hiccup glanced at Astrid, sighing. "Looks like late breakfast is served for us."

"I guess so." she shrugged. "But I'm still curious. Why is the tavern keeper so nice? I'd thought he'd be so..."

"Rude?" he answered. "I wouldn't have said that. Perhaps the keeper is kind to us because this tavern is located away from civilization. Plus, it looks like a place that serves mostly for travelers and patrons. Like us."

"You mean he isn't as rude as the other folk back in Kattegat since this place doesn't have the same feeling that the people there give?"

"Exactly." he said to her. "It's also why this place seems more successful. It feels more cozy and comfortable despite the outside look… Though speaking of Kattegat, I do wonder what's going on in that city. It's been awhile since I've heard from it."

"Who knows?" replied Astrid. "Most likely the place is just under the control of Ivar's forces. At least eight thousand of them I'd say. More than what we're about to go up against-"

"Please don't remind me." he said, shaking his head. "I just want something to eat to ease my mind off of things before we continue the journey."

Hiccup then turned his head around, looking down as he patiently continued waiting for the tavern keeper to return. But before he knew it, the keeper would come walking out again with almost a few mugs in his hand along with a couple of plates in the other. Behind him, several others followed him, also carrying food in their hands as they placed it down in front of the group.

"And that's that." the tavern keeper replied. "Though I will say, this alone is all worth at least fifteen silver. But I will accept-"

His words would be instantly cut off as a satchel hurled towards him, and as it landed in his hands, he looked back at Magnus who was standing up with a look of approval.

"I'll give you twenty silver." he said as he sat back down. "It's more than what we owe you, but you deserve it for your fine service."

The blonde haired man rose his brows in surprise. "Very well, good traveler." he said. "I hope you enjoy!"

The group slowly began to eat away at what they were given, happily chattering to each other as they discussed while they ate. To the Dragon Riders, it seemed like a warming rescue for their stomachs.

As Hiccup ate however, his ears couldn't bother but to eavesdrop on the quiet discussions that were happening behind him from the other patrons. The feeling it gave was almost like he was back in Kattegat.

It was then that a specific couple caught his attention. The voices of two men from behind Hiccup attracted his ears as he began to listen closely.

"Did you hear the recent news happening down South?" one of them said as he ate from his meat pie.

The other man shook his head. "I hear stories here and now and again, but no. Is there something going on with that stupid boy Ivar?"

Ivar. The name nearly shook Hiccup to anger, but he managed to hold it in.

"Aye, but not exactly." the first man said. "There's been news reaching out from the city of Kattegat. It angers me what that warmongering Boy-King is doing to his people."

"What do you mean?" the other asked. "What exactly _is_ happening down there?"

"...Ivar is starving out Kattegat."

"What...?"

Hiccup's eyes widened and his brows slightly rose as the grip on his mug of ale tightened. Did he hear what he thought he just heard?

"You heard me." the man said. "The people of Kattegat are starving, and it's not looking good at all. Ivar has decided to cut off all the stocks of food to the people, and he is instead using it to feed his Great Army. If this continues to go on, the people will starve to death in a month."

"Odin's beard…" the second patron gasped. "I can't believe he's going this far in an attempt to win this bloody war he foolishly started. Doesn't he realize he can't win without people?"

"What would you expect from an ruthless twenty year old King?" the first man said. "His act of starving out his people has riled them up. There have been riots in the streets and attacks on Ivar's Jomsviking and Saxon allies, as well as the warriors that were supposed to protect them. Unfortunately, their uprisings have failed miserably."

"...At this rate, Kattegat will become a Fortress of rabid dogs if it continues. His support of war from his people is beginning to die out, and they want it to end. There's more warriors in that city than there are folk."

"Aye." the second man nodded. "If anything, this war has took a turn for the worst for him. Two of his allies are dead, and it is definite that the Vikings of the Archipelago are still alive. They are the reason why you and I are survivors."

"Indeed, and if they continue attacking Ivar at this rate then there may be a chance that he can be stopped… they are the only hope left. I say to Helheim with Ivar."

Slowly, the men's conversation left Hiccup's ears as he sat there bewildered and shook. He couldn't believe what he just heard, and it wasn't looking good.

Even Magnus, who sat on Hiccup's left, noticed this.

He looked down at the young lad, concerned. "Hiccup, are you alright?"

"...No." he replied softly. "Something's bad happened Magnus. Something _very_ bad."

…

* * *

"What!?"

Everyone's voice spoke up in unison as they flew through the air, now back onto the backs of their Dragons.

Hiccup sighed, nodding his head. "That's what I heard from the men I eavesdropped. Ivar is starving out his people to feed the Great Heathen Army, but now they are rebelling against him. At this rate, the people are now in support for _us_ to win so we can save them. If not, they will die in a month!"

"I can't believe this." Magnus growled. "Ivar has gone too far for the LAST TIME! He starves his people all because of a war he started for his own gain, and now they're dying as a result. Hundreds and hundreds of innocent men, women, and children!"

"This is barbaric." said Heather. "No Tribe in the Archipelago would ever do this far just to win a stupid war."

"Well that's Ivar for you." Sigurd replied. "He shipped me and a large amount of his Völsung Clan out as prisoners for refusing to fight his war, but he turned us into his enemy as a result. Warsung."

"But still, this all just makes no sense." said Fishlegs. "I mean- why? Why would Ivar want to starve his people out just to feed the army more? Doesn't he already have enough?"

Hiccup shook his head. "That's the thing Fishlegs, he doesn't. At the start of this war Ivar had over twenty thousand men under his banner. Scandinavians, Slavs, and Germanics. But his warriors numbered more than his people. However, there is only one conclusion I can draw up from this."

"And what's that?" asked Astrid.

"...Ivar does not want to _ever_ stop fighting this war."


	64. The Big Reveal

**This chapter is going to be a big one guys, and one I have been waiting to write!**

 **Another new Clan will be introduced to us, and that means another new character! However, this will be the final major character who will be introduced into this story.**

 **Along with that, the reveal of this new character will explain as to why Sigurd, and Hvitserk (who Hiccup recently met) are in this story! Once you find out, you will possibly be mind-blown!**

 **But for now, please enjoy!**

* * *

The campfire crackled under the shadow of the cloudy late afternoon sky. Hiccup and Magnus sat around it together with both their Dragons, staring at the bright flames that danced and sparked like a fireshow.

Hiccup slightly shifted as he looked around, taking note that they were camped on top of a hill with no trees surrounding them.

"Magnus, are you sure this is a safe place for us to rest?"

The older Viking looked back at him, nodding. "Of course. No one will be able to notice us downhill. And besides, there's no hostile civilization for dozens of miles. We'll be safe."

"And what about the others?" Hiccup asked. "They've been gone for an hour or so by now. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take them this long unless they're on foot. Though- ...maybe I'm just too impatient."

Hiccup sighed, turning his stare back onto the fire as he began picking at it with a stick.

"You're just a bit tensed right now, Hiccup." said Magnus as he stood to his feet, looking out. "I know you're eager to reach Strongholm, but everyone has their limits. The Dragons have been flying for hours now, and I think it's fair that we give them a rest, as well as for ourselves. Plus, if we-"

"Hiccup!"

The sound of Astrid's voice interrupted Magnus as he turned his back, and through the breezing wind he saw the distant figures of the Dragon Riders flying towards them along with Eira, Hvitserk, and Sigurd.

Hiccup stood to his feet, looking over at Toothless and gesturing for him to follow as the group flew closer until they eventually landed.

Magnus arched a brow at the way they came towards him and Hiccup. Their boots hit the ground hard upon dismounting, almost as if they were carrying important news.

When the Riders approached them, they both knew they were in for a surprise.

"What news do you guys have?" asked Hiccup.

"We've found out where Strongholm is." said Astrid. "It's located West from here, and it's beyond what we imagined it would be like."

"How so?" asked Magnus.

"That Fortress is larger than we thought." answered Heather. "Literally, it's like one giant Great Hall built up like a tower with a village around it."

"And it's heavily defended." Eira added on. "It has siege weapons, a fortified wall surrounding it, everything! It's no wonder Vlar sees this Fortress as a threat."

"I'm not surprised." said Sigurd. "Strongholm was built as just a mere town when my old friend began construction, and over the years he expanded the Great Hall and built it higher until it towered over the walls and village. It became a mighty Stronghold, thus it is why it is named Strongholm."

Fishlegs nodded as he kept note. "Must be at least more than a hundred feet high. That place would be enough to house an entire army. Hundreds, if not thousands!"

"It's as many as I have." stated Hvitserk. "The Grey Raven Clan has the same amount of warriors Strongholm has, so maybe that'll give you a better idea if you're really _that_ interested."

"And I think we get the point." said Hiccup. "Look guys, we know where Strongholm is. So within the next hour I want you all to get ready to fly out again. But for now, let's rest before moving out. I'm sure the Dragons could use another moment to strengthen up."

"Agreed." said Magnus. "Best we prepare for what's to come, and let's hope we know what we're going to be walking into."

...

* * *

Hiccup now saw it with his very own eyes. The great Fortress laid ahead of them, and it stood there almost as if it was waiting for them to come closer and closer.

He gulped at the sight of it, not knowing what to expect from it. After all, their new ally could introduce them with friendliness or hostility. Either way, he was unsure.

"And so there it is!" spoke Sigurd. "Before you stands Strongholm, home of the Battleborn Clan as well as to the Jarl who resides there. Strong and proud as the Clan is, the Vikings that live there are among the most skilled and mighty you'll ever find. Only the best may become part of the Battleborn, and if they are chosen to join, then their way into Valhalla will be assured."

"Sounds like they're more of a brotherhood of Vikings." said Snotlout. "I wonder if that's the reason they chose not to follow Ivar. Because they only follow their own."

Sigurd nodded at Snotlout. "Exactly. This is the reason why they show such heavy hostility to Ivar's forces and allies. Ivar seeks to conquer everything in Norway under his rule, but these Vikings only follow their Jarl. They will follow no one else."

"What about us?" asked Hiccup. "We both have a common enemy. And plus, you and Hvitserk seem to know the Jarl."

Hvitserk shrugged. "We can't be certain." he replied, still staring at Strongholm. "The Jarl would likely have to earn your trust for the Clan and see if you're worthy. You need to show him that you are battle born. That's all I can say."

"Indeed." Sigurd agreed. "For now though, let's wait until we reach Strongholm. We're almost there."

Everyone went silent as they continued the flight towards the great Fortress, getting closer and closer. But when they came close enough to Strongholm to where they could make out much more of it, they were amused. Even from afar from where they were, they saw many figures in the distance patrolling the walls down below with siege equipment armed and on the watch.

"Odin's beard…" gasped Magnus. "There's so many of them."

"Aye." said Eira. "But not as many as what Ivar has. For all we know, they could just be-"

Suddenly the sound of a distant horn caught them off-guard as the warriors on the walls below began rushing around towards defensive positions. The group had been spotted.

"DRAGONS, FLYING ABOVE US!" a distant warrior screamed. "Arm the bola launchers! TAKE THEM DOWN!"

Hiccup was immediately alarmed. "Oh no." he said to himself as he looked back at the others. "Everyone, perform advanced maneuvers! Spread out before they-!"

"FIRE!"

The order was given, and rounds of bolas began firing at them from the launchers atop the walls, aiming for each of them even as they were flying around spread out.

The constant rounds were too much.

"This isn't working!" Hiccup shouted as he and Toothless performed complex maneuvers. "We need to draw their fire and get closer so we can reason with them!"

"We can't, there's too many of them!" called out Magnus. "We need to somehow grab their attention so that we can-"

"HICCUP!"

Astrid's voice called out to Hiccup, causing his gaze to turn onto her as he saw bolas fire onto her, one of which successfully hit her and shot her and Stormfly out of the sky.

In turn however, this caused Astrid to fall off Stormfly as she began falling towards the ground on her own.

"HOLD ON ASTRID!" Hiccup shouted. "Bud, bolt forward! Catch her!"

Toothless wasted no time and immediately dashed himself forward, getting himself as close as he could to Astrid before she would hit the ground. He sped up, getting closer and closer…

And he successfully caught the falling shieldmaiden, grabbing her by the arms before flying up to safety.

The same however couldn't be said for Stormfly.

Down below, dozens and dozens of men rushed out the main gates of Strongholm and ran towards the downed Nadder, completely surrounding her with their weapons pointed out.

One figure in particular caught Hiccup's eye however. A commander knelt before Stormfly with a sword in hand, giving off a grim and dreadful expression to her.

"You and your flyers made a mistake by coming here, Dragon." he said. "Though your kind can't talk, I know that you can understand me. Thus, I want you to know that this is where the line ends for you."

The man slowly rose his sword up, readying to thrust it through Stormfly's head. But before he could make his move…

"STOP!"

Hiccup's voice bellowed loudly. From above, and the other Riders swooped their Dragons down towards the ground, landing in the center of the ranks of warriors that surrounded Stormfly.

As they dismounted, they immediately rallied near Stormfly and unsheathed their weapons in unison as the Dragons behind them growled in a threatening response.

"What are you doing to her!?" Astrid yelled as she held her axe out. "Leave her alone!"

The commander looked down at Astrid, laughing. "Are you serious!? _Her?_ That beast is a female?"

"She's not a beast!" Hiccup replied as he swung around his fiery sword, making the warriors back up. "You guys on the other hand seriously didn't need to do that! We've come seeking an alliance with you and your Jarl!"

"An alliance!?" the commander growled. "We would never ally ourselves with you and your rabid dog Ivar! You should have thought twice before coming here, Dragon flyers!"

"Dragon flyers?" asked Heather. "Wait- you're mistaken! We don't work for Ivar! We're Dragon _Riders!_ We are fighting against him…"

"She's right!" said Magnus. "We're the Vikings of the Archipelago. The ones who have been warring with Ivar for months. We've come to-"

"That is boar crap!" the commander spat. "How can you prove to be who you are? From the way you approached us, you had us on our alert!"

"The same was with us when _you_ attacked." Sigurd said as he stepped forward, sheathing his weapon. "But believe us, we've come to speak with your Jarl- my friend, to ask for his aid. We-"

The commander stabbed his sword in the ground, interrupting Sigurd. "Being mighty and courageous now are you? Who do you think you are to make such a claim about our leader!?"

"That is because I am Sigurd you fool!" he spoke back. " _Sigurd!_ Don't you know!?"

"Sigurd? Bah, lies! Sigurd has been dead for months now, ever since Ivar came to power! You are not-!"

"But I am him!" the young Viking interrupted. " _I am_ Sigurd SNAKE-IN-THE-EYE damn it!"

Magnus looked up at him, bewildered with wide eyes. "...What did you just say?!"

Immediately, constant chatters and whispers spread throughout the dozens of Battleborn ranks that stood all around. Even the commander, who has a surprised look on his face, squinted his eyes and looked down at Sigurd. And it was then that he noticed a symbolic, familiar detail on the blonde Viking.

His right eye. He knew who the Viking was.

"...So, you really are alive then?" he asked, receiving a nod from Sigurd. "So what do you want then?"

"To see your Jarl. My old friend." replied Sigurd. "We have much to discuss and we have precious time on our hands."

"I see… and is Jarl Hvitserk with you?"

"Yes, I am." Hvitserk said as he made his way forward, showing himself to the commander who slowly nodded his head before looking back at his warriors.

"Step back, Battleborn! They are not our enemies!" he shouted, ordering them to make way for Hiccup and his group.

He then turned to look at Sigurd and Hvitserk. "You and your friends can come with me, along with their Dragons. If you are in need of my Jarl's aid once again, then you will receive it. I will escort you to him. Come."

They all gave a nod at the commander before they started to follow him towards the gates of Strongholm along their Dragons behind them, now seeming relatively neutral to the Battleborn warriors that accompanied them.

As they walked however, Hiccup noticed Magnus' surprised expression as he looked up at him.

"What is it Magnus?" he asked him.

The older Viking looked back at Hiccup. Both his brows were raised. "Sigurd and Hvitserk aren't just any normal Vikings, Hiccup. I think I know who they are..."

…

* * *

The great doors to the Fortress of Strongholm opened, leading Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, and the others in with Sigurd and Hvitserk at the front, and as they were led in, they were met with a very large room - almost like a Great Hall.

"Wow." said Tuffnut. "This place looks…"

"Edgy." answered Ruffnut. "Talk about a makeover."

Hiccup looked at the Twins, shaking his head. "Guys, stay focused. Right now, we need to see if the Jarl will answer to us… wherever he is."

As he glanced towards the end of the large room, he saw that there was a wooden throne with runes carved into it, and though he expected to see the Jarl sitting there, he saw that it was empty.

"Where is he?" he asked, looking over at the commander.

The commander gave a shrug. "He must be upstairs, most likely in his chambers. If you would like, I can go and get him-"

Before he could finish however, the sound of a pair of doors slamming open caught the group's attention, and as they all glanced their eyes to the right of the hall they caught eye of two opened doors, and out came a man.

It was the Jarl.

The commander sighed with a shrug. "Nevermind then. I guess... I will be on my way." he said before stepping his way out of the Hall.

After the man left, Hiccup's eyes fixed on the Jarl, inspecting his appearance from head to toe.

He wore a sleeveless red vest, and a black woolen tunic underneath. Along with that, his pants and boots were made of leather, and he had a brown furred cloak wrapped around his back.

As for his look - his eyes were light blue, and his hair and beard were dark blonde. Although the hair was short, he had a ponytail which came around and extended down his right shoulder.

And his look alone was recognizable to Sigurd and Hvitserk.

As the Jarl gazed to his left, he laid eye upon the group, and onto the two familiar figures that came into his view. His eyes showed a look of surprise as much as his face did

His words came out slowly.

"Hvitserk… Sigurd… you're both alive? But, how did you…"

"We found a way through, thanks to our friends here." said Sigurd as he and Hvitserk took a few steps forward. "Were it not for them, we'd be dead. But it has all led to this, and we're finally reunited at last… brother."

The Jarl smiled, quickly approaching Sigurd and Hvitserk as he grabbed ahold of them and met them with a reuniting hug. The two younger Vikings held their arms around him as well, recognizing him for who he was.

"Aye, it is good to see you again, brother." said Hvitserk.

" _Brother?_ " asked Astrid. "Wait, but if both of you are _his_ sibling, that means you and Sigurd were brothers all along, Hvitserk?!"

The two Vikings nodded. Hiccup and the others near him to gasp in utter bewilderment, but it also soon came to their realization. They couldn't believe this. How could this be?

Magnus on the other hand wasn't surprised, but now he understood.

"It all makes sense to me…" he asked. "When Sigurd said his name was the Snake-In-The-Eye, I thought I knew who he and Hvitserk were. Argarnsson isn't even his real surname. It's an anagram…"

"What?" asked Hiccup as he looked up at the Jarl. "This doesn't add up to me… what's going on here?"

"Eager for answers, eh?" the Jarl chuckled, looking back down at Hiccup. "Well, I know for sure by your look that you are Hiccup Haddock. Is that correct?"

"Y- Yes. How do you know that?"

"Your name is legend to us throughout the halls of Strongholm." he said. "News of your victories have been spreading all across Norway, and your name was always brought up. It is an honor to have you with us."

"Thank you Jarl." nodded Hiccup. "But what about you… who are you?"

"Me?" he asked. "My name is Ubba… Ubba Lothbrök."

Almost instantly, Hiccup was mind-blown. "Ubba Lothbrök?! But if you, Hvitserk, and Sigurd are Lothbröks, then that means-"

"Yes, Hiccup…" Ubba said as he took a step forward. "We are the last _true_ sons of Ragnar Lothbrök, which means Ivar is our brother. And now that we're together once again, the time has now come for us to prepare the inevitable. Together, we will put an end to our brother Ivar…"

...

* * *

Gobber slammed his prosthetic hammer against the face of a Dragon Hunter, smashing his skull in as he looked back at his allies that fought against them throughout the forest they were in. They were beginning to easily overwhelm their foe.

But they were not done there. Before them stood a large cave, and that was their main target.

Gobber gave out a sharp whistle, ordering his forces forward. "Come on lads! Push forward! Free any Dragon tha' ya can find!"

The Vikings of the Hooligan Tribe fought forward. Both villagers and warriors were battling together, and with their overwhelming numbers and strength against the Dragon Hunters, the mercenaries stood no chance.

As they closed in on the cave up ahead, Gobber then noticed more Hunters coming out of the cave in greater numbers, and although they were no match, he knew they were good targets for their riders.

He raised his hammer up, spinning it as he looked to the skies. "Dragon riders! Blast 'em away! GO GO GO!"

As he yelled out the order, the Dragon Hunters turned their gaze to the skies, and above them they saw dozens of Dragons with Vikings atop them move forward with their mouths opened and lit with flames, ready to burn.

"Oh crap!" one of the Hunters called out.

They then quickly attempted to react by forming up a line to shoot the Dragons from the sky, but it was far too late.

The Dragons unleashed Hel upon them, releasing a barrage of fiery blasts which fell upon their small army in seconds as the Hunters were set aflame, screaming in agony as they were burnt or blasted back. Despite having over two hundred Dragon Hunters defending the small location on the island, it was all too much.

Gobber grinned in satisfaction, watching as dozens and dozens of Hairy Hooligan Vikings ran past him and into the cave that laid up just ahead.

From behind, Spitelout and Sven approached the older Viking, giving him a nod of approval.

"We've cleared the forest out completely." said Spitelout. "No Dragon Hunter bastard remains in those woods, and all of the Dragons they caged are now free. The island is secured, Gobber!"

"Alright!" he nodded. "But we still 'ave one last place we need ta check out. We're goin' inta tha cave. Follow me!"

The two Vikings nodded, rushing ahead with Gobber and making their way towards the cave ahead of them. Upon entering it however, they saw that the cave was more than what they expected as it was no simple cave at all.

All around them there were cages and cells with the bones of Dragons in them, along with the remains of any prisoners that were unfortunate to have been tossed in them. It was indeed a dreadful sight.

However, there wasn't much to find, even as the men searched the cells for anything of benefit.

But then Sven tapped Gobber's shoulder. "Gobber, look at this!"

He arched a brow. "Sven, there's nothing here but tha remains o' Dragons an' Vikings. What could we possibly find-?"

The immediate sound of garbling caught his attention however as Gobber turned around, and before his very eyes he saw a Dragon laying near the back of the cave next to a pile of scrap metal and iron. It looked a bit like a Gronckle, but it was bigger and completely different.

This caught the attention of a few of his men. And now it caught Gobber's.

A smile slowly formed on his face as he approached the Dragon calmly, astonished by it's behavior and look. It looked extremely happy as it shifted around whilst eating the scrapped iron, but then its attention turned on Gobber who now stood only a couple of feet away from it.

The Dragon was not at all hostile. And the sight of the blonde Viking almost made it grin.

Gobber smiled. He then decided to cheer it up by picking up a piece of scrapped iron, and raising it in front of the Dragon's face before it happily ate the scrap. In response, Gobber held his hand up towards the reptile's head, petting it as he leaned in closer and rubbed his head against its face.

The Dragon replied by lightly rubbed its head back at Gobber, and to this, the blonde Viking felt himself go soft.

"I think you're magnificent a Dragon…"

* * *

 **Just incase anyone is confused, the island Gobber attacked is not Dragon Hunter Island. But the Dragon that Gobber met here judging by the appearance is, well, you guessed it - Grump!**

 **Also, now that Hiccup knows Sigurd, Hvitserk, and Ubba are Ivar's brothers, who are now his allies, I bet you now know what this is going to lead to...**


	65. Without Warning

**I am back guys, and I apologize for the absence!**

 **Life has been tugging at me a bit more recently, and I had some matters that I had to take care of which limited my time for writing, but now that most of it is out of the way I can hopefully get back to writing these chapters on a normal basis.** **I will say that this chapter is shorter, but it will do. I assure you that the next chapter will be longer.**

 **Now that the long wait is over! Let's continue!**

* * *

"So… how are you still alive?" Hiccup asked Ubba.

Despite all of the noisy braziers blazing around them, his voice broke silence in the Great Hall. The group all sat around the long-table, feasting on their dinner with Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd sitting at the head of the table while eyeing Hiccup as he asked his question.

The older Lothbrök sighed, fisting the side of his head. "I will make it a long story short." he replied before leaning in.

"My brother Ivar announced me dead when he returned to Kattegat. But truth be told, I actually marched North with hundreds of followers behind me, and after a week's march or so we eventually came to settle here. Together, we built a village which soon grew into a Fortress, and I trained those who followed me to become warriors themselves."

"A finer army not even Ivar could have hoped to build." said Sigurd. "But now look at him. He relies on people who aren't like us; like Viking. He disgraces us. All of us."

"Aye." Hvitserk nodded. "But soon enough Ivar will soon figure out that Hiccup is still alive and fighting, and he will no doubt come for all of us."

"Something else is already coming for us." Astrid replied as she laid down her mug. "Even as we speak, a legion of Vikings and Rus' warriors march on Strongholm. It will take them some time to get here, but we've made necessary preparations to-"

"What?" lightly gasped Ubba, looking back at both his brothers, and then Hiccup. "Why didn't you tell me of this before?"

"We were going to." said Hiccup. "But now's not the time to argue over it. The Warlord of the Great Army and his ally are going to attack Strongholm with a combined force of six thousand warriors. It's four times more than what this Fortress has."

Ubba now sat in silence. His mind began to think deeply on the matter from Hiccup's words. To him it sounded like more than what he and his Battleborn could handle, almost too much. But what also concerned him was how they knew.

"How exactly do you know about this?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Unless you had spies out there it would take time to figure out how this could even be happening."

"Your Fortress lays in the crosshairs of the Arid Highlands and Iron Mountains." Magnus replied, glancing back at Ubba. "And if we don't prepare for what's to come, then we will be no more."

"And it's only a matter of time until they get here." said Eira. "However, with the aid of our Dragons, we can hold them off until our allies arrive."

"Allies?" Ubba asked.

Magnus gave a nod. "Aye, we have thousands of men already on the way here, and it won't be long until they arrive. Once they get here the balance of power will tip in our favor. If we win here and get rid of Ivar's remaining allies, victory will be assured."

"How many to be exact?" the Jarl asked.

"About three and a half thousand. Combined with the Battleborn our numbers will be closer to theirs, but we will win one way or another. The Great Army will fail when that time comes, and so will Ivar."

"...Not until Ivar himself is taken care of." Hiccup said, gripping both his hands together. "If there's anyone who can end this war entirely, it's me. Next time I see Ivar, I'm going to end him."

"What reason would you have in killing him yourself?" asked Ubba. "Ivar is my brother, and he's also Sigurd's and Hvitserk's brother. He would stand no chance if us three were to-"

"You wouldn't understand the heavy grudge I have against him." he interrupted. "He has done more than you could have ever imagined… he has started to haunt my dreams recently."

Snotlout looked back at him, curious in his words. "Hiccup, are you sure you want to face him alone? He's a greater warrior than even yourself, and even you can't-"

Hiccup angrily slammed his hand against the table as he stood to his feet. "Do I really have to give a reason for that Snotlout? I was put in chains by him... for years. He nearly cut out my tongue when I was falsely accused of attacking one of his guards! His puppet Olaf beat me for every wrong thing I did, and I was tossed around like a toy by his warriors! You don't understand the pain and suffering I felt because of HIM!"

Everyone once again returned to silence, but the whole group eyed Hiccup with more concern than shock from his outburst. Clearly the young Viking felt uncomfortable.

"...All I want is payback for all he's done to me. All I want is my life back. Getting rid of him will allow us to go home so we can resume our life as it should be. I want to end this war. I want no more of it!"

The pain in his words was easily noticeable. The exhaustion in his expression was enough for them to understand that Hiccup was sick of the whole war, of everything that had happened to him and his friends, and the stress was now beginning to stack up on his shoulders.

All he wanted was peace.

With nothing else to say, Hiccup stood from his seat as he turned around and walked hastily towards the doors that led upstairs. He was obviously tired.

Astrid stood. "Hiccup, where are you going?"

"Somewhere where I can get a breather." he replied, not looking back. "I've lost my appetite, and I need time to think."

…

* * *

 _ **One day later...**_

The next morning came swiftly.

Hiccup sighed with his cloak wrapped around him, looking over the village that stood down below from the large balcony he was on. Though he was cold, it was still a perfect place for him to be alone without anyone bothering him - high near the top of the Fortress.

However, if there was anything that bothered him, it was the thought of Ivar still haunting his mind.

"...I will get rid of you eventually." he said to himself, still looking at the surrounding town down below. "Don't worry, I'll be coming back for you. And when I do, I will be the last thing you will ever see on this earth."

His eyes then narrowed up, gazing towards the distant cloudy horizon of the morning sky.

"This I promise…" he exhaled. "You will not escape me so easily-"

"Who are you talking to?"

The sound of two doors opening and a voice from behind caught Hiccup by surprise, causing him to jump back as he turned around to see Astrid walking towards him.

He sighed, shaking his head. "No one, Astrid. It's only me and- well, my mind."

She nodded her head. "Well, now there's me. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about what you said last night… is it true?"

"Yes." he said, letting out a light and cold exhale. After that, what felt like a long moment then followed as he stood there, leaning over the short wall of the balcony whilst looking down at the village.

"...I never told you, but he's beginning to haunt my dreams." he finally replied, turning to Astrid who was now next to him. "This war has been going on for far too long. In fact, it should have never happened. What started with a hunt turned into a near genocide for us."

Astrid looked back at him, confused. "Hiccup, what are you talking about? I mean- don't you see how far we've gotten? We overcame two of Ivar's allies, and it's so far all come down to this. A few more steps and we will beat them into the ground. We will-"

"And how many times have they nearly beaten _us_ to the ground?" Hiccup asked in interruption. "Islands burnt when Ivar's fleet invaded the Archipelago and nearly destroyed every Tribe on the map. We lost at Skyrsdok and almost risked everything... And he nearly killed Toothless. What do we do once the rest of the Great Heathen Army marches on our doorstep?"

"We fight." she said. "We fight harder than ever, and when that time comes, I _know_ we will win. We've gained allies throughout these two months that we've been fighting, and our Dragons and warriors have gotten better from every battle we've fought."

"...Ivar will stand no chance when he comes face-to-face with us. You know this."

Hiccup fell silent again. He stared at Astrid, wondering if Ivar truly would not stand a chance after this next fight. After all, every battle just also proved to have been a further struggle everytime for them.

But then again, even if he was tired of the whole war, why should he stop fighting?

"...I guess you're right, Astrid." he said, narrowing his head up. "Though maybe I should just think about this more. I can't be too certain if my ability to lead will still be as good as it was when we fought against Frode and Karvein."

"Hey, we already told you before; if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here." she chuckled as she grabbed ahold of Hiccup's hand with both her hands. "No matter how long he fights, Ivar will be taken care of eventually. It's only a matter of time before we-"

"Hiccup."

The voice of Ubba caught their attention as the two Vikings glanced back towards the doors behind them. With him were Sigurd, Hvitserk, and Magnus at his side as they approached them.

The four Vikings all looked down at Hiccup with a look on their faces as if they had come to some sort of agreement, though the lad was unsure.

Ubba spoke first. "I discussed with the others about your reaction last night… and after a long talk with my brothers and Magnus, we've made a decision and have agreed that you should be the one to fight Ivar. It's only fair."

"A decision in less than a night?" asked Hiccup.

"Our decision-making is known to be fast since we three are brothers after all." replied Sigurd. "In the past we used to make effective strategies in the battles we fought together, especially with Ivar, but that's besides the point. Now that we're fighting him, it's only fair that once he is aware of our presence that you go in for the kill. No doubt he will be confused, scared, and shocked as to why we're alive."

"And it's only a matter of time before he returns to Norway to try and finish us." Hvitserk nodded as he paced. "But there's no doubt that he will be awoken to the beating of his life, my brothers. That we can be certain of."

"It'll be glorious." Sigurd chuckled as his arms crossed. "Even before I was a commander in the first Great Army he treated me like some sort of low life when we were younger. Now he'll be showed who the true low life is."

"We'll have to wait until then." said Magnus. "For now, we have to wait for the next fight to come. The Iron Wolf and Broken Axe Clan could be upon us at any day now. We'll have to be ready once they-"

Magnus' words immediately cut off as he suddenly inhaled, catching a scent. In his eyes, something did not feel right - especially since now that the air around them began to somewhat thicken, almost as if it were the smell of smoke.

"...Do I smell smoke?" he asked, looking back at the others.

Hiccup smelt the air through his nose. Both of his brows lifted. "You're not the only one. I can smell smoke too… What the Hel is that-?"

Suddenly, the floor of the balcony beneath their feet began to rumble as the sound of distant booming bellowed. Then another followed, and then another one, and then several more.

And then, before Hiccup, Astrid, or the others even saw it coming, a projectile of fire hurled towards them from the side and hit above the balcony they stood on, causing them to duck as flaming rubble flew around them.

"W- What was that!?" gasped Astrid.

From the distance, the sound of horns began blowing loudly throughout Strongholm, and before they knew it - voices began to call out from down below.

The sound of men shouting caught Ubba's attention as the footsteps of Battleborn warriors rushing were echoed through the halls of Strongholm, as well as down in the streets of the village surrounding the Fortress.

Then, one voice caught the group's attention as they shouted;

"THE NORTHERN WALL! THEY'RE ATTACKING THE NORTHERN WALL! THE ENEMY IS HERE!"

...

* * *

"Alright lads, get moving! Get ta yer Dragons!" shouted Gobber.

The blonde Viking looked around from where he stood, watching as the plaza was flooded with hundreds of warriors and townsfolk carrying weapons and shields in their hands. But they were not the only ones there.

From all around, the Dragons flocked to their riders by the hundreds. Within an unexpected and shorter period of time the village of Berk was able to amass and bond with a large amount of Dragons that was bigger than what the entire Archipelago had ever seen.

But even with all of their training, Spitelout, Sven, Mulch, and Bucket still slightly hesitated on Gobber's action.

Sven looked back at him. "Gobber, are you sure our people are ready to fly on the backs of Dragons?"

"Aye, an' there's no doubt they'll be ready fer a fight. We've been sitting around fer two months doing nothing while Stoick an' Hiccup have been fightin' fer their lives. Now's tha time we fight too."

"But we haven't reached this month's end yet!" Spitelout replied from atop his Nadder. "We could still be using this time to train incase some of our people aren't ready."

"An' have ye considered if they _are_ ready yet?" asked Gobber. "If anything, I feel tha' tha time is right! Hiccup an' tha others could be in danger right now, an' if tha's tha case - we must move as fast as we can!"

"Agreed." nodded Mulch. "And besides, once we get there we could always see if Hiccup would be willing to teach us a trick or two with our Dragons."

"Wait- tricks? I love tricks!" Bucket spoke in a hearty manner. "What are we going to learn this time?"

"Not now, Bucket!" sighed Mulch. "...But as I said Gobber, if you say we're ready, then we're ready. The people do seem to be eager for a battle."

"Then let's not waste anymore time. Mount yer Dragons, lads!" Gobber announced as he mounted atop Grump who stood near him, urging the lazy Dragon to fly up.

"Up, Grump!" he said, and the Dragon quickly went airborne - flying above the center of the plaza with all eyes fixated on him, from both Dragons and Vikings. A moment of silence followed, and then he spoke loudly.

"...Hear me, Vikings o' Berk!" his voice bellowed. "Fer too long we have been hunted across tha Archipelago, by a mad boy who sees 'imself as above all! But now, with our Dragons at our side and with old hatreds between us tossed aside, we can now fight fer tha greater good o' both our kinds, an' fer Berk!"

A wave cheering broke out from Gobber's speech, but that was only the beginning.

He spoke up once again. "No longer will aggression between both Dragon an' Viking blind us from our true foe! Now, tha time 'as come fer us ta stand together as one, and face our true enemy!"

"...Today, both Vikings an' Dragons will fly ta Norway side by side! Tomorrow, our horrors an' pain will become Ivar's! We will be tha ones ta rise up alongside our future Chief! Now's tha moment! Now's tha time ta fight! VICTORY FER BERK!"

The Vikings in unison all roared in a massive wave of cheers, and the Dragons by them rose their heads to the sky with their wings fully spread apart, letting out a roar to the heavens that was as loud as a thunderbolt from Thor himself.

Gobber then rose his prosthetic hammer, turning his eyes to the Southeast.

"MOUNT UP, VIKINGS O' BERK! WE FLY TOGETHER AS ONE GREAT FLOCK! LET US FLY TA NORWAY!"

* * *

 **Next chapter will be a battle chapter that I will separate into three or so acts! Until then, if you're somewhat hyped, try to keep it together! Or if you can't hold it in, then alrighty!**

 **But for now however:**

 **To be continued...**


	66. Making A Stand - Act I

**This is it guys! Another battle chapter has come!**

 **As with most cases for long and extensive battles, this battle will most likely last up to three or so chapters before we continue moving on, and I plan to make this one quite unique.**

 **Also! I heavily recommend listening to cinematic epic-like music with headphones or earphones while reading this chapter to put you in the mood.**

 **But aside from that, I hope you guys like this one! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Toothless!"

Hiccup called out his Dragon's name as he ran through the streets towards the Northern wall amidst the chaos that was flying overhead, all while he was passing through crowds of rushing warriors.

"TOOTHLESS!" he shouted more loudly.

And yet even as he kept running and calling out his name, the ground still kept shaking whilst fiery projectiles from distant Devastators flew above him and onto the town.

To him, it felt like Hel unleashed.

For a moment he stopped to catch his breath, coughing as the smoke around him filled the air. He then looked back at Astrid, Magnus, and the three brothers who were still following him.

"There's still no sign of Toothless - or even any of our Dragons!" he said as he straightened himself out. "If we don't find them soon then the enemy will beat us to the ground like ants!"

Astrid squinted her eyes as she looked around. "They're around here somewhere, I know it! They couldn't have gotten far if they escaped from their sleeping stables. Maybe they were just frightened and they decided to-"

Her words would cut off as the sound of several familiar roars caught their attention. From behind, they would spot the Riders rushing towards them with their Dragons at their side, along with Toothless and Stormfly.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out in relief.

Immediately he began running towards Toothless with haste, meeting him with a tight but surprising hug around his neck. Astrid too, who noticed Stormfly, approached the Nadder to greet her.

"You had me worried, Bud." he sighed before looking up at Eira who was on top Thorwind. "How did you find them?"

"They escaped the stables to find you, just like how you were looking for them." nodded Eira as she dismounted. "We managed to run into them minutes after we heard the first few Devastators fire. It's a good thing we found you in time."

"Aye, but we can't stay here for too long!" Ubba said as he stepped forward. "Ivar's allies are at our doorstep, and we need to fight back! We must keep them focused on the Northern wall so that they are exposed to both our Dragons and siege weapons! If we can hold out long enough, we may be able to-"

"JARL UBBA!"

The voice of a distant warrior quickly caught Ubba's attention. His eyes narrowed to the side as he saw a man running towards him with a few others at his side, low on breath.

The warrior breathed rapidly as he stopped and looked up at Ubba. "My Jarl, Broken Axe and Iron Wolf forces are attacking the Eastern wall! The enemy is flanking us from the East!"

"What!? How many?" asked Sigurd.

"At least two thousand! We don't know who leads them, but we won't be able to hold it if it's left under guarded!"

"Then we'll split up the attack!" Hiccup commanded, catching a bewildered but surprising face from Ubba and his brothers. "Ubba, you Sigurd and Hvitserk can handle the Eastern wall with what warriors you can! The rest of us will handle the Northern wall! I'll see to it that your men there make it out alive from this Helstorm!"

Ubba immediately gave a firm nod, not needing much time to consider Hiccup's decision. "Very well! Hvitserk, Sigurd, follow me! We're going to give our enemy a good butchering!"

With haste the three brothers ran off with the group of warriors behind them, carrying sharpened axes and swords in their hands which were ready for a fight.

Once they were out of sight, Hiccup looked back at the rest of the group before mounting on top of Toothless with his blade unsheathed and ignited.

"Everyone else, follow me! We're going to take the fight to Ivar's right hand man! Give them no mercy!"

The Riders responded in unison with a cheer, following behind Hiccup as they continued their way through the large streets of the town. Whilst they followed, Devastator fire pummeled down around them on the dozens of huts that still stood, causing flames to erupt like a massive bonfire.

And yet even as Strongholm was being pounded, that was not the worst that Hiccup or the others had to see.

Eventually, they would reach the Northern wall of the Fortress, and as they rushed up the stairs to the top of the wall, they saw the true horror of what was before them.

Hiccup dismounted Toothless. He saw before his very eyes thousands and thousands of armored Vikings and Rus' warriors, lined up in position and ready to march forward upon them and the Battleborn Vikings whom they heavily outnumbered.

After all, only five hundred Vikings stood atop the wall.

Ruffnut's eyes widened. "Th- That is a loooot of Vikings." she stuttered.

"No kidding..." said Heather. "Not only that, but they've come more prepared than ever. Look at them, they're all armored up in plating. Vlar must have been really busy building up his war machine."

"Little does he know is that this is where _it_ will crumble." responded Hiccup. "We will blast them apart by the dozens until there is nothing left of them! Vlar will pay on this day for what he and Ivar did to us back at Skyrsdok, and I will make sure of it!"

Confidence flowed through the young man. He quickly turned his glance upon the Vikings that stood around him, raising his voice up to catch their attention.

"Vikings of Strongholm, listen up!" he began. "Before us stands one of the largest armies that I, you, and many others have ever faced! They come with their pretty little Devastators to blast us to smithereens, and they think that they can just take our lives away by force - either through death or slavery! By know that your Jarl has agreed to leave me in charge of this position - and of your very lives! As long as I fight, we push on!"

"And how do ye know that we can win!?" one of them called out. "The Iron Pups and their Broken Axe allies are too many!"

"That's true!" Hiccup nodded. "But we have something that they don't; the trust, leadership, and friendship of Dragons! To us riders, they are our best friends! To our foe, they are savage beasts - but they are anything but savage! With them at our sides, we can show them that even the smallest of allies can make a big difference! Together, we will show them what it means for _you_ to be Battleborn, and what it means for all of _us_ to be Vikings!"

"Who among you will follow me into the fray!?"

The Vikings of Strongholm roared with inspiration, raising their weapons to the sky after hearing Hiccup's speech. Their cheers echoed for many yards around, loud enough for even the Vikings and Rus' warriors in the distance to hear.

Even from afar, Vlar and Hjalmar, who were standing in the center of their battlelines with siege weapons around them, found it amusing that their foe still had the spirit to fight on.

However, even the sight of Hiccup who stood out from the rest of them caught Vlar's attention.

He growled as he chuckled at the scrawny lad. "Who knew this would be where we would meet that weakling Hiccup Haddock again!" he said aloud. "If this is where I shall fight him, then I will gladly not hold back! I will pound him into the ground with steel and fire!"

"I will fight him too!" Hjalmar snarled as if he were like a hungry hound. "After he is crushed I will spill his blood from his scrawny body and cut off his head. LET US KILL FOR OUR KING IVAR!"

The Chieftain's words were loud enough for all of the warriors around him to hear - to both Broken Axe and Iron Wolf. They cheered back at him as they all unsheathed their weapons in unison, and began banging on their shields like drums.

Vlar grinned with enlightenment. "Let the end-game begin!"

From his waist, the Warlord snatched his horn that was ready to sound the march of battle, and with a loud and powerful blow it would bellow across the snow-covered battlefield for miles.

"March forward and slay all who stand in your way! Do not resist, and SHOW NO MERCY!"

The Vikings and Rus' warriors once more roared in a thunderous cheer to the sound of the horn, and with the command given, the first wave of a thousand Iron Wolf and Broken Axe warriors began their march.

From behind, the Devastators continued firing with constant barrages, aiming at the Fortress and the wall that Hiccup and his friends stood on, but it would not be enough to directly hit them or knock them down.

However, even as Hiccup watched the enemy march towards them, the sight of several large moving armored towers on wheels made him shudder. He felt a bad and dreaded feeling sink down into his stomach.

"They're bringing up siege towers!" he shouted. "We need to take them out before they reach the walls, or else we'll be overrun!"

"Agreed!" called out Magnus. "ARCHERS, KNOT YOUR ARROWS! SIEGE WEAPONS, LOAD UP!"

By Magnus' command, dozens and dozens of archers lined up at the edge of the wall with their bows gripped and arrows knotted, all before several catapults and other siege weapons made their way forward as they were quickly loaded up and ready to fire.

Hiccup nodded in approval once he saw that they were ready, and he immediately rose his sword up in the air before quickly swinging it back down. "FIRE AT WILL!"

With the disciplinary advantage at their side, the archers let loose their arrows down onto the enemy's frontline - aiming for any foe that they spotted before swiftly reloading their bows to fire again in constant volley.

The catapults from behind soon then joined in, letting loose ignited boulders at the advancing line whilst the other siege weapons were unleashing what they had at the enemy.

Down below, the enemy warriors began getting shot down by hails of arrow fire and by siege weaponry in the dozens, as well as get crushed and burned by the flaming boulders that smashed into them as if they were grass.

However, even as Hiccup's allies continued firing, the enemy still would not stop their advance. Not even the three siege towers that continued rolling towards his position would stop.

He knew something had to be done.

"Hiccup, we need to stop those siege towers from reaching the wall, or else the enemy will flood in overrun us!"

"I know, Astrid!" he called out to her. "But if we're going to take them out, we'll need to do it from above where their occupied Devastators won't reach us!"

"I think I know what you're thinking Hiccup!" Snotlout replied before quickly rushing over to Hookfang. "Everyone, mount your Dragons! We're going to blast those siege towers to pieces!"

"Then let's get this over with..." nodded Magnus. "...Eira, I want you to stay here and command our allies. They'll need to rely on a leader while we're up there fighting. Do you think you can handle it?"

"...I guess I can." she sighed. "Be careful, love. I don't want to lose you again."

"I'll stay here and help!" Heather replied as she unsheathed her axe. "Don't worry Hiccup, I'll make sure to have her back while you guys are up there. Fishlegs, I'm counting on you not to get yourself killed for me, alright…?"

Fishlegs gave a light chuckle. "I won't die. You know that."

"Then it's settled." said Hiccup. "Eira, I'll keep an eye on Magnus until we return, I promise. For now, we need to do what needs to be done. Riders, mount your Dragons! We have a battle to win!"

The Riders without question rushed to their Dragons and mounted up before following Hiccup up into the sky, and as they went airborne, the winged reptiles let out echoing roars to make their presence clear to the enemy.

As Eira watched them ascend up, her eyes focused back on the archers firing, and she began shouting commands to make them put in more efficiency.

"Aim for the clusters, men! Keep firing!"

Up above, Hiccup and the other Riders were quick to engage with the heavily armored siege towers that were filled with almost two hundred men each - nearly half of the first wave.

And yet as they were about to fire upon the large moving towers, something diverted Hiccup's attention as he gazed at their tops and saw men armed with arrow launchers aiming up at them.

"ARROW LAUNCHERS!" he called out. "Everyone, evasive maneuvers! Spread out!"

The group was quick to spread apart as the arrows launchers immediately began firing, sending barrages of arrows onto them as if a huge group of archers were constantly firing their arrows onto them.

Yet even as the Riders were able to easily dodge each arrow, it was not enough to make them stop firing.

Magnus' voice rose up. "Hiccup, we can't fight them like this! We need to confuse their line of sight and get them to fire a different way! A distraction!"

"How!? They'll just quickly aim us down and-! ...Or perhaps unless their full attention is diverted on one of us!"

"Exactly!" he said. "You and I have the fastest Dragons among the Riders! I'll catch the attention of one of them, and you blast them apart!"

"Alright!" Hiccup nodded back in agreement, watching as Magnus redirected Thorwind towards one of the siege towers, and immediately he began to taunt the warrior atop it who armed the arrow launcher.

"Hey, blondie!" he taunted. "Be a real Viking and make this a one on one! I'm over here! Come on, shoot me down hairless ape!"

Just like that, the man atop the siege weapon became infuriated as he began firing onto Magnus with all he had, but with his back turned, he was easily exposed…

Toothless quickly charged up his attack, and with one plasma blast the Night Fury easily set the arrow launcher alit, along with the man atop it who began screaming in pain as he ran around in circles before foolishly, yet unfortunately, running off the siege tower itself, and to his death.

This act alone was enough for the Riders to maneuver more easily away from the arrow launchers, and as well as repeat Hiccup's and Magnus' attack.

Astrid and Fishlegs both focused on one together. Seeing as how Stormfly was the fastest of the two Dragons, Astrid focused on drawing the attention of the man engineering the arrow launcher, shooting down spine shots from her Dragon and near the engineer's line of sight in an attempt to get his shots off-target. This would in turn pay off as the man could no longer focus properly, and with one blast from Meatlug, the Gronckle sent the man flying off the siege tower in flames which as a result slowly began to set the tower itself aflame.

As for Snotlout and the Twins, though Hookfang was an excellent attacker, his flight maneuver as a result of his rider's abilities surpassed Barf and Belch. Together, both he and Snotlout flew around the final siege tower, distracting the warrior on top of the armed arrow launcher. One thing turns into another as Hookfang's flying turned into dodging before slowly into attacking, and before the man atop the siege tower knew it, green Zippleback gas surrounded him…

And with a single spark from Belch, the Viking bursted into flames which sent him too flying off the now burning siege tower, and soon, all the men inside of the rolling tower began to burn as well.

To that, only one remained.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless, giving the Night Fury a nod of approval.

"Looks like our last blast wasn't strong enough. Alright then, let's see if we can do this again like last time! Divebomb, Bud!"

Toothless gave off a roar as he swiftly flew up and away from the action, getting himself up to a safer distance where he could then perform his attack.

The Night Fury screeched loudly, gaining speed as he began spiraling down towards the remaining siege tower from the high altitude. His mouth was lit with a bright purple color, charging up his flames as he let out a long high-pitched sound that made the enemy almost freeze in fear, and with a devastating blow he unleashed his plasma blast, completely blowing the siege tower to burning rubble.

Not a single Viking or Rus' warrior inside it survived Toothless' attack. Hundreds of the enemy were already slain from the Dragons' firestorm, and from the enemy's point of view, Vlar was beyond anger. He was infuriated.

He slammed his large hammer into the snowy ground with frustration. "I WILL NOT LET THEM TO CONTINUE DELAYING OUR ATTACK!" he roared gutturally. "Hjalmar, give the order for them to scale the walls! Ladders!"

The Broken Axe Chief gave a quick nod at the Warlord before loudly yelling; "LADDERS!"

Suddenly from the enemy ranks, dozens of warriors began running through carrying long and firm ladders in their hands, rushing towards the wall with haste until they eventually reached the troops that were waiting to engage their enemy.

Almost immediately, the ladders were set up like lowering the sail of a longship, and the Iron Wolf and Broken Axe warriors cheered as they began climbing up like rabid wolves towards Eira and Heather who were up top with their weapons out in front of them.

Despite the hundreds of warriors their archers and siege weapons shot down, they were still going up against hundreds of more Vikings and Rus'.

Magnus turned Thorwind around as soon as he eyed a clear shot of attack for his Dragon, and once the opportunity came upon him, he gave the command to his battle-eagered Skrill.

"Strike for Thor…" he calmly said to his Dragon.

Thorwind in response ignited his body and wings with electricity - whilst in the process not shocking Magnus, and with a great and mighty breath he sent a beam of lightning raining down on the enemy, shocking the warriors who were still climbing the ladders by the dozens which as a result sent out a chain reaction to any warrior nearby.

But the enemy did not sit still to this.

Suddenly, a voice shouting "ARCHERS!" caught the group's attention, and down below, enemy archers with bows and crossbows in hand lined up as they began shooting up arrows and bolts at Hiccup and the Riders, causing them to spread out and maneuver from the incoming volleys.

And yet that was the idea.

An opening was clear for the enemy as the Vikings and Rus' once more began climbing the ladders, and as the first warrior reached the top of the wall, they were met with a blade to the neck as Eira jumped at them.

As more reached the top, fighting soon started to spread across the ramparts as the archers laid down their bows and unsheathed their axes and swords, officially engaging the enemy.

Vlar from afar soon noticed that his move was going as according to plan, and knowing that his foe was exposed and occupied, he took the time to his advantage and issued a new command.

He turned back to Hjalmar who stood eager and ready to fight.

"Send the second wave forward along with our battering ram, and deploy the flyers! Now is the time that we even the scales to our favor."

Hjalmar arched a brow. "Warlord Vlar, are you sure that we're ready to-?"

"No questions asked, Hjalmar!" Vlar interrupted. "Blow the horn and give the order! You will join them."

Without much choice, Hjalmar did as Vlar told him, stepping forward with a battle horn in hand - as well as his prosthetic axe raised up to his Broken Axe warriors.

He spun to face them. "Who are the real Vikings!?"

"We are!" they responded back to him.

Hjalmar rose his voice up, calling out once more; "WHO ARE THE REAL VIKINGS!?"

"WE ARE!" his men shouted back, louder than before.

Satisfied with his men's morale, Hjalmar faced back towards the wall with his weapon still raised, shouting "PUSH FORWARD, WARRIORS!" which unleashed the Broken Axe Clan's bloodlust. His warriors roared in unison as they rushed forward with their leader at the front, and what followed was the sounding of another horn.

Suddenly the enemy archers ceased their volleys before quickly falling back which gave Hiccup and the others a moment to breath.

Hiccup looked down at the retreating men, curious. "Why are they running now? They almost had us there!"

"...Hiccup, maybe that explains why." Fishlegs' finger pointed out in the distance towards the enemy lines. Up ahead they saw Hjalmar advancing with nearly a thousand men behind him, but that was not what surprised him the most.

Above the army's ranks, Hiccup caught the horrifying glimpse of more than a dozen winged figures flying through the smoke of the Devastators' fire, and it was then that he felt himself go numb.

What he saw were chained armored Dragons flying towards him with flyers on top of them, ready to have them unleash fire onto the Riders and their allies.

Snotlout gulped. "Now we have a problem..."


	67. Making A Stand - Act II

**Alrighty! So before beginning, I'd like to point out that the cliffhanger from last chapter was not entirely intentional. The ending of that chapter came out to be more anti-climatic than I thought. Thankfully however, this chapter won't have a cliffhanger!**

 **Once again, I recommend listening to some epic cinematic music while reading this to get into the mood, and I'd like to thank you guys for the support so far, and I hope you guys will like this one!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"This is bad! Very bad!" Fishlegs called out.

The Riders were in shock when their eyes fell upon the Dragon flyers that rode towards them with speed. Just like with the Singetail they saw many weeks back, the Dragons that the flyers controlled were forced under their will.

Something had to be done.

Hiccup turned his head around, looking back at Magnus. "We can't hope to take on the enemy and their flyers all at once! Magnus, I want you to go down below with Thorwind and help Eira and Heather fight them off! The others and I will take care of this…"

"Are you sure Hiccup?" asked Magnus. "Those flyers outnumber you two to one!"

"We're Dragon Riders, remember? We work together as a team! Now go, we've got this!"

The older Viking sighed as he glanced between Hiccup and Eira, but nodded in approval.

"Very well. Odin be with you, Hiccup!" he said before he and his Dragon swiftly flew off towards the enemy whilst Thorwind's mouth was wide opened, ready to unleash lightning upon the foe.

Hiccup's eyes then spun towards the approaching flyers. His face glared with disgust. "Those Dragons are fighting against their own will. We'll have to split them up from their flyers without injuring them."

"How?" asked Astrid. "If we're too careful, they'll just easily blast us to bits!"

"We'll split up and make them separate to follow us! Our advanced maneuvers can make the flyers lose control of their Dragons, and we'll be able to easily take them down!"

"Uh, Hiccup? Anytime now! They're getting closer!" gasped Snotlout.

It seemed almost as if they were mere seconds away to blasting them apart. The flyers flew closer and closer with their Dragons, making them light their flames until they were but a few yards away from Hiccup and the Riders.

And then, the group immediately split.

"NOW!"

Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins all flew off in different directions, causing the flyers to separate as the chase to take them down began.

However, it would not be easy for either of them to take each other out. Especially for the reckless Dragon flyers.

"Where are they going!?" one of them shouted out.

Another responded with a growl. "I- I don't know! Grr- that way! Follow him!"

As Hiccup flew higher above the battlefield, he looked back to see four flyers chasing after him. They were mounted atop a Gronckle, a Nightmare, and two Singetails with their leader riding one of them, particularly a larger Singetail.

Yet no matter how high Hiccup flew, it seemed almost as if they would not stop chasing after him, even as they still kept firing at him.

...That was until something miraculous yet unexpected happened.

As Hiccup looked back again, he saw that the Singetails began heavily resisting with their flyers to continue going up after him, and that only the Nightmare and Gronckle under the control of the flyers continued to fly up.

"Gah, fly up damn you!" the flyer captain shouted.

That gave Hiccup as sense of relief for him, but that still did not change the fact that he was still being chased, thus he began devising a plan.

He looked down at Toothless as he motioned with his hand to fly on level with the flyers rather than continue flying up.

"Alright, Bud. We're going to have to pick them both off at the same time." he said. "This may be risky, but we're going to have to split in order for this to work. You with me?"

Though hesitant, Toothless gave a Dragon-like nod, but not before narrowing his eyes towards the flyers that now laid ahead of him, flying their Dragons in place as if they were waiting for both him and Hiccup to make the first move.

The Night Fury stopped in place as well, glaring down the two Viking flyers with a growl as if he was ready to tear them apart.

Hiccup laid his hand against the side of Toothless' head. "Okay Toothless." he spoke with a hushed tone. "On my mark, I want you to fly towards that Gronckle with speed. When I give the word, you're going to fly under it and aim at the Nightmare's flyer. At the same time I will jump over the Gronckle and knock it's flyer off."

"Is that clear, Bud?"

The plan was crystal clear, and Toothless gave out a snarl that showed that he was ready for anything. And with that, the two flew straight forward, bolting towards the flyers.

As they quickly came closer and closer, Hiccup suddenly loosened the pedals, allowing for him to slightly lift his feet up as they were ever so closer… until they were finally right on top of the flyers.

"Now Bud!"

With a sudden move, the two of them immediately separated, and with great leverage at his side - Hiccup jumped up and launched himself up into the air, allowing himself to land on the Gronckle and take the flyer by surprise.

The man's eyes widened as he saw Hiccup leaping towarda him. "What the-!?"

With a great and hasty shoving punch to the flyer's exposed face, Hiccup bashed the Viking off the Gronckle's back, and at the same time, Toothless from underneath charged up a quick plasma blast - aiming it at the flyer atop the Nightmare and getting a successful hit, causing the man atop it to go jumping off in flames.

With the two Viking flyers out of the way, Hiccup finished up by jumping off the Gronckle as he quickly felt himself land back into the familiar seat of his saddle with his feet pressed down onto the pedals.

He cheered as he looked down at Toothless who grinned with excitement. It was a close one, but they had done it.

"Whoo-hoo! That'a boy, Bud!"

With their work finished up in the sky, both their eyes glanced back down below towards the battle, but what caught Hiccup's point of focus was the two Singetails that were still resisting to fly up, thus he knew it was time to fly back down.

"Alright Toothless! Let's turn around and take on those flyers down below!"

Without any delay, Toothless made a quick bolt towards the flyers riding the Singetails, but as he continued making his way down he immediately began to pick up speed, and his downward bolt turned into a swift divebomb. His mouth opened, revealing purple flames, and with a mighty huff he let out a powerful plasma blast onto one of the flyers by surprise, burning and knocking them completely off the Singetail along with shattering any armor or chains that bound the Dragon.

With the Dragon released of it's bonds, it made a quick dash as it flew off into the horizon away from the battle, leaving the leader and captain of the Viking flyers on his own.

Both he and Hiccup now flew parallel and across from each other. He glared down the scrawny Viking with anger.

"How could you have accomplished this on your own!?" he hissed, sounding guttural. "You are no skilled Dane nor Norse Viking, and yet you still manage to defeat _my_ flyers!? We are the best trained by Warlord Vlar himself! I won't let you defeat us!"

"Is that so?" Hiccup asked back. "Look around you! You're with no one up here else except me - an experienced Dragon _Rider!_ It is the reason why I easily took out your flyers up above! After my Dragon and I take care of you, your lackey flyers down below will be next!"

"NEVER!" he screamed. "I will never be defeated by an underling such as yourself! You can't defeat me! I'm-"

Before he could finish however, a loud yet up-close explosion caught Hiccup and Toothless by surprise - making them flinch, and before they realized it, they saw the captain of the flyers flying off the Singetail while covered in flames, leaving the somewhat large Dragon to quickly fly off towards the far-off distance.

Hiccup arched a brow, awkwardly looking around. "What the Thor was that?"

His eyes suddenly narrowed up as the sound of wings caught his attention, and from above, the Nightmare and Gronckle that Toothless and Hiccup managed to free came flying down towards them. Their Dragon faces showed a look of gratitude from the help that Hiccup and Toothless gave to them by freeing them from their captors, and because of this, they were both willing to help them out in winning the battle.

Even Toothless knew this as his expression was showing no signs of aggressive hostility, but rather the welcoming look of a new ally.

"Looks like they're going to help us now." Hiccup said, glancing back at the two Dragons that flew in front of them. "Alright then! If you wish to help, follow our lead! We're going to help free your friends!"

With no other response given, the two Dragons willingly followed Hiccup and Toothless down towards the other Riders who were fighting - yet still being chased by the rest of the flyers.

But now the tide was about to turn...

From down below, Astrid who fought along with the other Riders looked back at the flyers who were chasing her with great ferocity and speed. The agility the flyers had with the two Nadders they flew atop made it seem like they might catch up with her soon, yet no matter how much Stormfly threw at them, they wouldn't stop.

The shieldmaiden grunted in frustration. "Grr! When will these flyers just stop chasing me!? Haven't they had enough?!"

Stormfly replied only with an aggressive squawk as she spun her head back around towards the flyers before launching a blast of magnesium flames at one of them. Surprisingly, she was able to hit the flyer, but the speed of the wind against them only injured and somewhat dazed him.

The flyer roared in anger. "I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF, WEAK GIRL!"

To Astrid, it seemed like the chase was about to come to a gruesome close for her. That was until she heard the sound of several blasts catch the attention of her ears.

She looked up, and from above she watched as Hiccup descended with two Dragons following behind him and Toothless. Their mouths lit up with flames, ready to blow up the enemy.

Astrid smirked with a chuckle. "Oh boy. These flyers are about to be roasted now."

Hiccup gave a beastly glare as he eyed the flyers who constantly harassed his friends… as well as his loved one. But now it was time to even the odds.

He lifted his hand up, crunching it into a fist. "Give them what they deserve! Fire!"

The fires within the Dragons all of sudden brightened, and with the advantage on their side - the three Dragons let loose their flames upon the two flyers, quickly getting rid of them almost immediately which left both of the Deadly Nadders freed from their bonds and chains.

Judging by the look that they gave however, Hiccup knew that they were ready for another fight. This time, they would fight by their own will.

The two Nadders, along with the Gronckle and Nightmare behind Hiccup gave a communicative look at each other, and before he knew it, the four winged reptiles flew off towards the remaining six flyers and their Singetails with their fire once again ready and lit.

The flyers of whom were preying on Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Twins were about to become the prey.

One by one, the Riders and the four Dragons who flocked against the enemy that bound them began blasting the flyers out of the sky. Knowing that they had the advantage in their numbers, the Riders focused on guiding the flyers unnoticeably towards the Dragons that had joined the fight with them. Once they were close enough, they positioned themselves to where they and their winged allies could get a clear shot, and just like that with their combined effort, the flyers were taken down, leaving the Singetails to fly off - roaring as they were freed.

This would not go unnoticed by the enemy however.

From afar, Vlar watched as all of his flyers were all taken down, and although he was in a way angered by the quick defeat - he was also satisfied with their work.

His glare turned into a grin. "They served their part. All is going well according to plan…" he said to himself. "Soon their gate will be brought down as I intended for it to happen, and I will burn this Stronghold to the ground as we-"

"Warlord!"

The voice of a distant warrior from afar suddenly caught his attention. From the East, he saw a large amount of Vikings and Rus' warriors rushing towards him, all exhausted and bruised from their fight at the Eastern wall.

The warrior approached him, sighing as the forces behind him grouped up. "We have lost the fight on the Eastern wall, sir! The enemy, they nearly overwhelmed us and took out more than half of our attacking force. The commanding Chieftains you put in charge were all killed in the fight. This is all we have left."

"Is that so…?" Vlar growled. "And how exactly could you have been defeated by weaklings that you outnumbered two to one!? You're telling me over a thousand of our warriors were lost to them!?"

"They had back-up come in at the last moment, Warlord! We couldn't-!"

"AND WHO EXACTLY WAS IT!?"

...

* * *

After seeing the flyers fall to their deaths, Astrid came to a complete halt as she rode back towards at Hiccup who gave her a slight look of embarrassment.

"And where were _you_ while _I_ was being chased, knucklehead?" she asked as she approached him.

Hiccup gave a light chuckle. "Oh you know, handling things from up above! But right now, we have to help in handling things down here too!"

His hand motioned in the distance towards Magnus, Eira, and Heather who fought atop the wall with their allies. From their point of view, the situation seemed stabilized as they were slowly but surely pushing the enemy off the walls.

"Looks like the enemy is weakening! This should be easy enough to handle!" he called out.

"Umm… Hiccup, I wouldn't be so confident!" responded Astrid. "I don't think the same could be said for the gates! Look!"

Her hand pointed down towards the main gate, and as Hiccup glanced down he saw that things were about to take a bad turn as the enemy's heavily armored battering ram positioned itself in front of the gates, ready to bring it down.

"Oh no…" he said to himself. His eyes then gazed back at the rest of the Riders, and he quickly began calling out to them. "RIDERS, RALLY UP! NOW!"

His voice bellowed loudly across the area, loud enough to catch their attention as Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Ruff and Tuff swiftly flew over with haste. Their hearts pounded heavily to Hiccup's call as if they thought he was in trouble. Surprisingly, even the four Dragons of whom they saved rallied to him as well.

Snotlout looked up at him, confused. "What's happening Hiccup!? Why are we-"

"Their battering ram!" he said. "We have to take it down now! They're about to bust their way in!"

Fishlegs' eyes widened with shock. "What!? But when were they able to get it there so quickly…?"

"Their flyers were just a distraction to keep us occupied!" called out Astrid. "Because of that, they had the time to get their warriors and ram forward!"

"Grr, why didn't we see this before!?" Snotlout grunted. "We need to take that thing down NOW! Fishlegs, destroy it!"

"With pleasure! Meatlug, fire!"

The Gronckle gnarled as her mouth filled up with rocky lava. Meatlug's nostrils smoked with anger as she then let out a spewing blast of explosive lava and launched it as hard as she could. The blast successfully found it's target…

...But the battering ram was not destroyed, nor scratched a single bit.

"What the-!? It didn't work!" gasped Fishlegs.

Hiccup gave a sigh of frustration. "It must be Dragon-proof! But if we can't destroy it, then the enemy will flood in. And that means-!"

The realization immediately dawned upon Hiccup as his eyes turned towards Magnus who still fought with Eira and Heather on the wall against the enemy. He knew if they didn't get off soon, then they would be attacked from behind.

Astrid's voice rose up, attracting back Hiccup's attention. "Now what do we do? We're just sitting ducks if we do nothing but-"

"I want you guys to attack their reserves with what we have, along with our new winged friends!" he ordered. "Right now the enemy are at their most vulnerable. Take out their Devastators, and weaken them as much as you can. I have to warn Magnus - now!"

Without another word, Hiccup and Toothless flew forward towards the wall, leaving the other Riders and their Dragons flying there in place with confusion towards Hiccup's reaction. But despite that, the group had their orders, and they knew what they had to do.

Astrid spun her head back towards the others. "Well you heard him. Let's give them Hel!"

The Riders all cheered in unison with the Dragons' roars, turning towards Vlar's position as they flew towards his ranks with haste, ready to give his men and allies a beating. The Dragons' mouths soon lit up brightly with flames of anger as they closed in...

Back down below from Magnus' perspective, the enemy was beginning to make their way off the wall. He, along Thorwind, Eira, and Heather put their effort into tearing the enemy apart. The three Vikings fought with their allies whilst Thorwind struck down lightning from the sky like a cloud - almost impenetrable.

As Magnus' blade struck down onto his last foe, he looked back at the Battleborn Vikings who fought bravely with him, and he smirked in approval.

"Victory is ours!" he shouted. "Continue to hold, they're going to send their next wave up soon!"

The Warsung Chieftain seemed confident with their position. It seemed to him that no matter how hard the enemy fought, they could not at all get passed them.

However, the voice of Hiccup would catch his attention as he spotted the scrawny Viking and his Night Fury flying through the sky, calling out to him.

"Magnus!" he called out as he swiftly landed on the wall. "Magnus! Get yourself and the others out of here, NOW! You're about to be overrun!"

The older Viking looked up at him, arching a brow. "What? Hiccup, do you not see that the enemy is on the run from the wall? We're going to-!"

"The same can't be said for the gate!" Hiccup interrupted, causing the look of confidence on Magnus' face to fade. "They're about to bring it down Magnus! We can't destroy their battering ram! They are coming!"

"No…"

His eyes widened, now gazing down towards the gates as he noticed that they were being pounded at with brute force. At this rate, he knew the gates would quickly come crumbling down.

Magnus pointed his sword towards the courtyard down below as he rose his voice up for all to hear.

"ALL WARRIORS TO THE COURTYARD! DEFEND THE AREA WITH YOUR LIVES!"

Upon hearing the order, the Battleborn Vikings without question began making their way down the stairs and into the large courtyard from which the Broken Axe Vikings would flood into. Eventually, the walls were completely emptied out, and all of the troops had made their way down.

Quickly they lined up into position, with the warriors placing their shields forward in a shield wall and the archers readying their bows and arrows to let loose onto the enemy.

Hiccup, Magnus, Eira, and Heather stood at the front with their weapons in hand, along with both Toothless and Thorwind standing at their sides. They were all ready to brace for whatever was to come through the gates, and as the great doors came closer to being rammed down, their hearts pumped more rapidly.

Until finally, with one last mighty ram, the gates were broken down and the way for the enemy to flood into Strongholm was clear...

However, out of an unexpected turn of events - they did not immediately rush in. Instead, only one figure came through.

At first, the smoke from the dirt and burning rubble shadowed the figure to Hiccup and the others. However, what they did notice was that in the man's left hand he carried a large axe that looked ready to cleave someone in two.

But as the smoke cleared, Hiccup realized that the axe in the large man's hand was not a regular axe, but a prosthetic weapon.

From the rubble, a bearded man stepped forth with a battle-crazed look on his face. His pale skin was quite noticable to Hiccup, and immediately the lad recognized who the man was, or rather - who the Chieftain was.

It was Hjalmar, Chieftain of the Broken Axe Clan.

As Hjalmar's eyes glanced around at the force that stood before him, his attention diverted onto Hiccup who stood out from the rest of them, and instantly a glaring grin formed on his face.

"So, we meet again Hiccup Haddock." he said. "I still have not forgotten the score you and I have to settle after what you did in my Arena. Either you will be my last kill, or you will give me a hundred kills as promised! I still only counted ninety nine!"

Hiccup rose his blazing sword up in front of him, making a taunting manner. "Oh… well, technically for me it's over three hundred by now. Considering how many I have slain in the previous battles against Frode and Karvein whose heads are now rolling, I don't think you will stand a chance this time."

"Be silent!" interrupted Hjalmar. "Ivar will see to it that your head is delivered to him on a pike! Your war against us has gone for far too along! Today, it will to come to an end one way or another, and soon I will-!"

Before Hjalmar could finish, the sound of a loud distant horn caught everyone's attention, taking him and all of the warriors from both sides by surprise.

Though Hiccup could not see it, he knew it was coming from the East, and it sounded... familiar.

Out on the battlefield where Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins fought with their allied Dragons, the effort they gave in attacking Vlar's forces directly had made them exhausted. Even as the Devastators and war machines around them burnt, the enemy fired as many arrows as they could onto the Riders, but their aim was not enough.

Both sides were even.

But it was then that Astrid and the others heard the horn coming from the East as well. And it was no ordinary horn either.

It was the horn of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe.

Astrid's charred covered face turned towards the hill to the East, and above the hill she saw a white ray of light from the clouds slowly hit her, reflecting down onto the group and as well as the battlefield - almost like a sign of hope, and from afar, she and the Riders saw a figure.

Snotlout squinted as the bright ray faded from his sight. "Who- who is that?"

From the distance on top of the hill, a large figure stood looking over the ruined battlefield with an axe in one hand, and a battle horn in the other. His face was disgusted by the sight of the enemy, but gazing upon his allies gave him relief as he knew deep down, Hiccup, his son, was still alive and fighting.

Stoick took a step forward, taking a deep breath of air from where he stood.

He spoke softly. "The long march is over…"


	68. Making A Stand - Act III

**Merry Christmas, everyone!**

 **Well, this is it guys! The last part of this battle is here! Prepare for what may be a somewhat quick but satisfying fight as Hiccup once again takes on one of our antagoniats!**

 **As last time, I recommend listening to epic cinematic music with headphones while reading this chapter to make the reading experience better. Nevertheless, I hope you guys will like this one!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"The long march is over…"

Snow lightly fell overhead from the bright wintry clouds that laid above Stoick. His voice sounded low and deep as he eyed the enemy ahead on the distant war torn battlefield. The sight of the flying figures of the Dragon Riders was enough for him to know that Hiccup was alive.

Now it was time to turn the tide.

"My son stands alone in this dark hour." Stoick said, laying his sight on the Fortress, yet as he spoke - eight more figures appeared to his side.

On both his right and left flanks, all of the Chieftains lined up next to him, holding their weapons tightly as they were prepared for battle.

Dagur stepped forth, spinning both of his axes in hand. "He's not alone this day. Today, we will be the ones victorious. Let's end it!"

The Berserker Chieftain then rose an axe up, raising up his voice to shout for those behind to hear.

"VIKINGS! COME FORWARD!"

As Astrid and the Riders watched their motions from afar, the sudden sound of hundreds of horses slowly galloping caught their ears. Behind Stoick, a long line of over three hundred horsemen came into view.

Astrid grinned with pride as her eyes spotted the colors of the Hairy Hooligan and Warsung Tribe atop the horses. Now things were indeed about to take a turn.

With the horses lined up in position, Stoick pointed his axe forward before shouting to the men behind with inspiration; "IN ODIN'S NAME! CHARGE!"

"FOR ODIN!" they all shouted in unison. Their horses then quickly began moving with haste, now galloping towards Vlar and his forces in a tide of steel which made the Warlord himself almost freeze in shock.

But that was not the only thing he would face.

From behind the wave of charging Vikings on their steeds, Stoick, the Chieftains, and the rest of the army rushed out - bellowing out their battle cries and roaring loudly as they charged.

Vlar, desperate not to lose this fight, looked back at those who stood around him.

"FORM YOUR RANKS! SHIELD BEARERS TO THE FRONT, SPEARS BEHIND!"

The Slavic warriors and their Viking allies, though shaken, rushed to the front with their weapons tight in their grip. Clearly they were tensed up after seeing their foe come into view, but now they began to doubt whether they could win.

Quickly the bearers grouped together and formed up a shield wall in an attempt to counter the cavalry charge, and the spearmen from behind stuck their polearms out to try and help in the effort. But even with their forces almost equally numbered to the Vikings of the Archipelago, their fear slowly began to take over.

The spearmen from behind took a few steps back as their weapons were no longer pointing straight out, showing off their cowardice and disability to continue fighting.

Vlar, who stood far behind the ranks with guards around him, glared at his forces with disgust.

"What the Hel is the matter with you dammit!?" the Warlord shouted. "Stand up straight you cowards! If you run, you will die by my hammer!"

Yet even as he poorly attempted to get his men back into shape, it was already far too late.

The Vikings atop their horses roared as they bashed through the enemy lines, nearly wiping out the first two ranks of Vikings and Rus' warriors as they entered the fight and formed a battleline, all whilst the Riders and their Dragons let loose fire from above on their foes.

"Let's give them what they deserve!" shouted Astrid.

"Comin' in hot!" cheered Snotlout.

From behind the line of horses, Stoick and the rest of the Vikings of Archipelago charged in, joining the fray as their weapons rose high up and clashed with their weakened enemy…

Over from Hiccup's point of view however, he and those around him could hear the sounds of battle emanating from outside the wall. It was clear that his friends and allies had arrived just in time. But even with them, the fight still had to be won.

He looked over at Hjalmar, glaring a smirk as he waved the Dragon's Blade in circles, ready to strike. "Looks like your Slavic allies won't be helping you in his one, Hjalmar."

"Who said I needed help?" he chuckled gutturally. "I'll make you choke on your own blood as my axe slices your head off of your miserable weak body! CHARGE!"

His command came out loud and clear. The Broken Axe Vikings came flooding through the gates, raising their weapons up and forward, and placing their shields out as they rushed towards Hiccup, Magnus, Eira, Heather, and their allies - roaring in unison.

Hiccup responded quickly by bringing his blade down and forward, yelling loudly "CHARGE!"

The Battleborn Vikings around him responded with bellowing screams and battle cries as they ran forward with Hiccup and the others at the front. Their blades, axes, and spears were ready for a fight.

As they charged, Toothless and Thorwind blasted the enemy from the sides with their lightning and fiery attacks which exploded almost point-blank ranged in their faces, sending them flying off in multiple directions.

After that, the two sides finally clashed, with Hiccup and Hjalmar's blades crashing into one another.

Their weapons fell into a weapon-lock, with both combatants pushing as hard as they could against each other like angry boars fighting over meat, except they were both the fresh meat.

Hjalmar laughed. "You're stronger than I thought, Haddock! But you are not strong enough!"

"Shut up and fight already, Hjalmar!" grunted Hiccup. "We'll see who comes out on top!"

Immediately the young Viking pulled his flaming sword back from the Chieftain's prosthetic axe, before landing another strike to get him off-balance. However, Hjalmar's size gave Hiccup's strength a disadvantage, and he responded by striking the young Viking's blade with heavy force, making the lad step back a couple of feet as he was nearly knocked to the ground.

"Is that the best you've got!?" spat Hiccup.

He quickly straightened himself out, lunging forth at Hjalmar with speed as he struck swiftly with the Dragon's Blade, performing attack after attack against his weapon in an attempt to give way for an opening. And although Hjalmar was stronger, Hiccup was quicker - and as they both continued fighting, it seemed as if the battle was even.

Almost too even.

Hiccup knew that simply attacking where he wanted to land a striking blow would not be enough. He knew the Broken Axe Chieftain was on the defense, taking all of the blows only to respond with a counter. So instead of wasting his time of continuously slicing and dicing, he began to slowly devise a plan until eventually an idea came upon him.

He took a step back, keeping his blade in front of him and in place. A smirk stretched across his face. "Well then, Hjalmar!" he began in taunting manner. "Looks like you may have the better of this one. But we'll see who is better on the offensive! Go on then, strike me if you can! Let's see how far you'll get before I plunge my blade right through your fat stomach!"

"Trying to taunt me, eh!?" the Chieftain asked gutturally. "It will take more than just piss coming from your mouth to make me attack you!"

Hiccup's brows lowered in a glare, nearly becoming tempted to strike. But his cool was kept as he continued in attempting to bad-mouth the large Viking. "And it will take more than just standing for you there to beat me! I assure you that the longer you stand there talking, the sooner you'll find yourself at Ivar's feet as a dishonorable failure and-"

"YOU INSULT MY HONOR!?" Hjalmar bellowed. "I will have your head for this, Haddock! Ivar will reward me once I am through with you!"

Once again the Broken Axe Chieftain charged, raising his axe as he violently rushed Hiccup in a fit of rage. However as he did, an opening became clear to Hiccup as he too rushed Hjalmar. As he did, he rolled around the large man's left side where his prosthetic attempted to cleave down and strike, and he struck.

Surprisingly, Hjalmar missed his blow as Hiccup rolled around him, and immediately he felt a bursting jolt of pain spread throughout his lower left leg as the young Viking sliced his fiery blade across the Chieftain's ankle.

Hiccup then quickly recovered as he straightened himself out and took a few steps back, now standing behind Hjalmar with a determined grin on his face.

"Looks like I wasn't wrong when I made that crack on your weight." Hiccup taunted. "I guess you really do have some weight issues."

Hjalmar turned around, heavily infuriated as he glared at Hiccup. "Gah! I've had enough of your nonsense, Haddock! Just DIE!"

The Chieftain was now in a frenzy. With bloodlust rushing through him, he hastily attempted to charge Hiccup with speed that not even the young Viking could have been able to dodge… were it not for Toothless.

As the Night Fury fought off waves of Vikings, he noticed his best friend standing in Hjalmar's crosshairs, ready to tear the young man apart. Toothless quickly reacted by igniting a plasma blast and hurling it towards the Broken Axe Chieftain, causing the large Viking to be knocked down onto his back as he felt blazing pain hit his side.

Despite the pain, Hjalmar quickly stood back up to his feet and spun towards where the source of the blast came from. His eyes fell upon Hiccup and Toothless who stood side by side, along with Magnus, Eira, Heather, and Thorwind who ran over to help Hiccup out.

Hiccup stepped forward. "It's over, Hjalmar."

The Chieftain spat, shaking his head. "Not just yet! HUSCARLS, GET OVER HERE!"

His voice boomed around the area of the courtyard, and before Hiccup or the others knew it, they saw heavily armored Vikings with plate helmets running towards them with two handed axes in their hands. Though their large figures were intimidating, they were not intimidating enough.

One of them approached Magnus and attempted to strike him down, but the Warsung Chieftain was not to be underestimated with.

Magnus quickly reacted by raising his blade up to block the huscarl's attack, before spinning his weapon in a circle to swing the Viking's axe out of his grasp and out the way. He then immediately came back up with his sword and swiftly struck at the huscarl's vulnerable neck - causing him to bleed out and choke before stabbing him through his exposed stomach.

After dealing with the huscarl, Magnus spun blade as he motioned Eira, Heather, and Thorwind to follow. "Hiccup, take care of Hjalmar! We'll deal with his huscarls!"

Hiccup gave a nod as the three Vikings and their angry Skrill ran off into battle. "With pleasure!" he responded.

Once again, both he and Hjalmar found themselves ready for another fight, except this time - Hiccup had the advantage. They both slowly paced in circles across from each other, glaring.

"You want to play that game then!?" the large Viking asked. "Fine then, LET'S PLAY!"

Hjalmar's feet moved hastily but heavily as he violently ran at Hiccup with his axe raised to the side, ready to cleave him in two. But the young Viking was prepared. Hiccup quickly blocked Hjalmar's attack, holding his prosthetic axe in a weapon lock until the Chieftain quickly decided to break the lock by pulling back, and attack Hiccup where he was exposed.

But despite how strong the Broken Axe Chieftain was, he was too slow for the hasty Viking.

Hiccup once more blocked Hjalmar's move, but rather than just blocking - he _parried_ the man's attack, leaving an opening for striking as Hiccup sliced his sword across the left side of Hjalmar's lower chest, slowing him down even more.

Now he had the chance to even the fight's odds.

He looked back at Toothless who was ready to strike the man with a plasma blast. "Not yet Bud! Wait until I give the command!"

From there, things began to go downhill for the Chieftain of the Broken Axe Clan. Hjalmar would attempt to attack Hiccup in whatever way he could with his brute strength and speed, but no matter what he did, his attacks would turn against him as he was already slowed down to the point where he could not out rush Hiccup.

Because of this, Hiccup now had a strategy.

Knowing that he was swifter and faster than his opponent, Hiccup focused on dodging and parrying Hjalmar's attacks whenever he could. He would only dodge whenever the opportunity was not cleared to him - or whenever the enemy Chieftain was not exposed for an attack.

But whenever the advantage did come upon him, Hiccup would focus on slicing and stabbing his fiery blade towards areas that were exposed such as underneath Hjalmar's arms, towards the sides of his chest, or anywhere where there was no heavy armor protecting him, and when it was possible, Hiccup would attack in the same spots he had already struck at and do it all over again.

For a while the young Viking kept up at this, until the Broken Axe Chieftain began to go into another frenzy, and this time it was uncontrollable. The scent of his own blood began to drive him to madness, and the wounds and scratches on his body just fueled his need to continue pressing on.

Hjalmar backed up, gritting his teeth as he began breathing heavily. "I WILL KILL YOU HADDOCK, DO YOU HEAR ME!?" he roared. "I WILL SEND YOUR HEAD SPINNING DOWN TO HELHEIM AND I WILL SKIN THE HIDE OF YOUR DRAGON INTO A NEW CLOAK! I WILL-"

"NOW TOOTHLESS!"

Hiccup's command came out to Toothless loud and clear. All whilst Toothless stood there holding off further waves of Vikings, he held his breath in for the moment that he and Hiccup was waiting for, and now it was time break the Broken Axe beyond repair.

Toothless ignited his flames and began to charge up, and with a quick and final attack on Hjalmar he fired his plasma blast towards the Chieftain at up-close range, knocking the large man off his feet and down to the ground.

The blast caused smoke and dust to fly all around, and for a moment it blinded both Hiccup and Toothless of their vision. Once the smoke cleared however, they saw Hjalmar laying before them. His skin was seared, and his body was charred and severely burnt as a result of Toothless' plasma blast. The Chieftain was by that point barely alive.

Hiccup sighed, glancing back at his fiery blade.

"It's time."

Without anything else to say, Hiccup stomped his way over to Hjalmar until he was standing right on top of the broken Viking, and with a swift and direct strike, he stabbed his fiery sword right straight Hjalmar's exposed chest, causing the man to groan in pain as he felt a burning sensation run through his body, along with his mind beginning to go black.

However, the last words that came out of Hjalmar's mouth was; "One... hundred... kills..." as he slowly went lifeless.

Hiccup kept his blade in that position until the Chieftain's skin had gone fully pale, thus he knew Hjalmar's life came to an end.

He was no more.

The young Viking pulled his blade from the man's lifeless figure and spat on it. "May you rest among the dishonorable dead, mongrel." he said before backing up, and glancing over at Toothless.

Hiccup sheathed his blade, placing both his hands on Toothless' head. "Good work Bud… Looks like we've won here."

And his words would be proven right. From all around, he began to notice the remnants of the enemy Vikings rushing out of the gate, with the Battleborn allies chasing them out - hot on their tails.

He then heard Magnus' voice call out to them. "WE HAVE THE ENEMY ON THE RUN! PURSUE THEM, LADS!"

Now curious as to what was going on outside of the walls, Hiccup quickly mounted on top of Toothless and gestured the Night Fury to fly up to view Astrid and the other Riders who were still fighting against Vlar and the Iron Wolf Clan.

"Alright, Toothless. Let's see how Astrid and the others are holding up with…"

Upon laying eyes on the battlefield however, it was apparent to him that the Riders did not need help from him. Not even a bit.

On one side of the battle, Hiccup spotted the colors of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe flying over the field along with the colors of the Warsung, Berserkers, Outcasts, the Defenders of the Wing - and the rest of the Tribes of the Archipelago. They were all there, sweeping in on the enemy from the East whilst on the other side from the West, the rest of the Battleborn Vikings led by Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd swept in, clashing with the enemy and slowly digging away at their ranks.

Hiccup knew without having to say it that it was a victory, especially when he heard the enemy's horn of retreat sound throughout the field. Outmatched and outnumbered, they had no choice but to run.

Down below from Vlar's perspective, the Varangian Warlord stood there in anger as noticed Hiccup and Toothless, glaring at the sight of them after being forced to blow the horn.

He then pointed his warhammer up towards Hiccup and Toothless. "I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE FOR THIS, HADDOCK! WHEN NEXT WE MEET, I WILL FACE YOU PERSONALLY!"

Though he knew he was too far away to be heard, Vlar still turned around towards the other direction, and began running for his life alongside the remnants of those who followed, and in response, Hiccup's allies and friends began cheering at the sight of the enemy fleeing North.

As they fled however, Hiccup noticed the skies slowly brightening up from behind the clouds as if Odin himself recognized who the victor was, and it was clear to them all that Ivar's defeat was to very soon become a reality.

But at what cost?

…

* * *

Hours passed, and the wounds were slowly starting to heal.

Hiccup walked across the ruined battlefield where bodies of the fallen laid littered like snow. By now, the majority of their forces had made their way into Strongholm, leaving only him and a handful of others who were observing the field.

He showed a face of disgust, because although he and his allies had slain much of the enemy, others were not as lucky.

Here and there Hiccup would spot a few corpses who were once fighting as proud and mighty Vikings of the Archipelago, but still, the amount lost that day on both sides was emotionally overwhelming to him.

He sighed, looking around the battlefield from where he stood with his arms motioning out towards the dead. "All of this loss. And for what? For a simple Fortress located in this- frozen wasteland? So much life has been wasted today…"

"And it is all thanks to Ivar's doing."

The voice of a large man nearly made Hiccup jump as he spun around, only to face his father who approached him with proudness in his eyes despite his battle-dirty face.

Stoick smiled, landing his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "But... were it not for you and the others, we would not be here. Thanks to you we have earned another ally in this war, and what's more important is that Ivar's hold on Norway is weakening. His only remaining Chieftain Vlar is on the run, whose forces are breaking."

"It's thanks to you that we can continue to fight another day."

"Thanks, Dad." said Hiccup, grinning with a small smirk on his face. "I did what I could to end this Hel of a battle, but unfortunately it's not over yet."

"Yeah, but it's _almost_ over."

Astrid's voice caught Hiccup's attention as his eyes glanced over to the shieldmaiden who walked over to him with the rest of the group at her side, as well as the Dragons.

Her battle-dirt covered face made Hiccup lightly chuckle. "Well milady, I suppose you've killed enough for one day?" he asked teasingly.

"Mmm… I guess so." she giggled. "But now that we've crushed Vlar's forces, we can focus on pursuing him and ending him once and for all."

"Aye." nodded Magnus. "Without Vlar, Ivar will have no one to power the Great Army's war machines, and he'll be left with only a handful of Devastators at his disposal. But so long as Vlar stands, he can still make an host of siege weapons and an armada of ships. Our only chance of making sure that doesn't happen is if we reach the Iron Foundry before Vlar does, and destroy it."

"But won't there be anyone guarding it once we get there?" asked Fishlegs. "I mean- Vlar could have left reserves there if he ever figured that we'd fly our Dragons there to blow it up."

"That seems impossible." answered Heather. "If anything, that foundry should without a doubt be empty. Vlar brought just about everything he had to this battle, and lost nearly his entire army."

"As well as Hjalmar and the Broken Axe Clan." Hiccup said, catching all of their eyes.

Snotlout arched a brow, surprised. "You killed him?"

He nodded. "Aye, I did. And it wasn't easy, but if it wasn't for Toothless - I would have been dead myself. That man went into a frenzy and nearly killed me. Talk about the Danes, they are crazy."

"Well, at least we're done with him now." said Eira. "For now, we should celebrate this moment. The Great Heathen Army has already lost half their numbers, and soon Ivar will be the last obstacle in our way. We just need to deal with Vlar, and once Ivar returns to Norway, we will march on Kattegat and put an end to him."

Hiccup shook his head. "Not a good idea. Ivar still has thousands of more warriors positioned in Kattegat. It would be suicide if we went there. By now that city has probably been turned into a Fortress. It would be too difficult to get in."

"...Not unless we let Ivar come to us." said Magnus. "If we weaken him enough to the point where he has to retreat back to Kattegat, we can then siege the city in its weaker state and surround Ivar on all fronts. Until then, we'll have to strengthen up our forces. Right now we still have a cowardly Warlord to pursue."

"Heh, I hope he doesn't outrun us." chuckled Ruffnut. "I'm not done with that fat Slavic coward."

"Oh he won't get very far…" Hiccup replied as he glanced his eyes out towards the North, and then back at the Riders, looking eagered.

"Alright gang, here's what we're going to do. Before Vlar can reach his Fortress, we're going to have to pursue him and attack him at the last moment. We'll have to circle around him from the North and South to cut him off from retreating or running. We know that his army is tired, so their slow speed will give us time to rest and prepare for tomorrow. With haste, we should reach him in no time."

"...So, who's with me?"

* * *

 **Alright! Before ending this off, there are a couple of important things I want to mention.**

 **By this point, there are only a dozen chapters left in this story. It's been a long road guys, but we are almost there.**

 **Also, I will say that after the next chapter, there will be another battle. However, it is only going to be one chapter, and it will be only from Hiccup's perspective. You will see why eventually, but for now, you will have to wait.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	69. Too Much Mead

**This will be the last chapter for 2018 guys! It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year since I began this story, but I assure you that it will end soon! After that, I have a new idea in mind. But you will have to wait for that!**

 **I would like to also thank everyone for the support so far. You guys inspired me to continue this story going, so I hope you guys will like this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

They cheered to their victory that night in Strongholm. While most of the warriors and the Chieftains retired to their tents and quarters, others were up and out, relieved from the long battle that they had endured that day.

Meanwhile in the Great Hall however, the group celebrated along with their Dragons, sitting around the long-table in the center of the large room while eating their fill and drinking mead with their Dragons hanging about.

Even Hiccup himself felt hearty about it. Though he knew the next battle would be soon, he didn't want the moment to be spoiled by his negative feelings and emotions.

No. This would be his night to celebrate with his friends, and with Toothless.

His mind would stop daydreaming however when he suddenly heard the sound of a hand banging loudly on the table.

All eyes from the group and the Dragons fell upon Ubba who sat at one end of the table with his brothers, and in their hands they held mugs of mead.

The Battleborn Jarl gave a hearty smile as his eyes gazed at the group.

"My friends." he said. "Tonight we celebrate our victory against a great common foe who we defeated despite all odds. Though we still have quite a way to go, what is certain is that my brother Ivar will find himself without anymore allies once he returns to Norway. Soon, it will just be him and us."

"But tonight is not about that. Tonight, we drink to our fallen, and to our new alliance!"

Ubba then rose his mug up in the air, before saying cheerfully with his brothers "Skál!"

"SKÁL!"

The voices of Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, and the rest of the Riders bellowed throughout the Great Hall as they rose their drinks and drank happily to their victory and to their honored dead.

After that the Hall once more filled with their voices, with the loudest coming from the Twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout who were rambling random things from their drunken mouths.

"Y- Y'know." giggled Tuffnut. "Thissh mead… ish like a giffft from thuh Gods. I'm tellin' ya, it'sh like Odin himshelf rained thishhh shtuff down onto the earth, if ya get whut I mean…"

What followed was a hysterical laugh from both of the Twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout - though the rest of the group was not surprised seeing as it was expected from them being drunk.

Hiccup sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Astrid who sat next to him. "Well, here we go with Drunknut again. I swear, he never stops talking after three mugs. Last time he drank three he would not stop babbling about how Dragons could one day talk. Ridiculous."

"Well that's Tuffnut for you." shrugged Astrid. "He once boasted years ago in the Great Hall on Berk that Loki should have just _Loki'd_ the Hel out of the Berserkers to keep them away. After all, our two Tribes at the time were not at all friendly."

"Loki'd?" asked Heather who sat across from both Hiccup and Astrid.

"Yeah… it's this thing that the Twins made up where they make ridiculous pranks on others. Some of their pranks however are just too much. I almost broke an arm because of them after they placed a salmon at the doorstep of my hut, making me slip and fall down the stairs."

"Ouch." both Hiccup and Heather said in unison.

"Were you at least fine afterwards?" asked Hiccup.

Astrid nodded. "Yep. And when I figured out that it was the Twins, I gave them what was coming to them and… well, I'd rather not explain."

"I'd rather not hear." Heather replied as the three of them gave out hearty laughs. "To be honest though, I can imagine how Ivar's life would be if he was pranked constantly by the Twins without knowing about them."

"He would probably find out eventually." Hiccup said softly. "Ivar is no one to be joked with. If he wants you dead, he'll have you dead, even after he told his people that he was a _merciful_ Chieftain and that he _loved_ them."

"That's… a bit unnerving." said Astrid. "What did he say?"

For moment Hiccup gagged as he slowly drank from his mead, before looking back at Astrid as he began imitating Ivar's voice in a Nordic accent.

" _Hatred must never take the place of love."_ he imitated with a scoff. "That is also exactly what he said to the people of Kattegat after he ordered a public hanging of three rebels who tried to start an uprising in the town more than a year ago. It disgusts me to this day, but the way he said it just goes to show that there was something wrong with him from the start."

Heather shook her head with an uncomforting sensation. "I am glad the Berserkers never had a Chieftain like that. No one in the Archipelago would go as far as to doing something like that... though maybe the Murderous Tribe would."

"Huh… the Murderous Tribe?" asked Hiccup. "I know very little about them."

"Then it's best you don't know anything else about them." she replied. "Anyways… I think I will retire for tonight. I'm a little bit tired and unnerved right now."

Both Hiccup and Astrid nodded at Heather as she stood from her chair and began making her way towards the stairs leading up to the guest quarters, but as she left, Hiccup felt concerned as to the way she reacted.

"What was that?" he asked Astrid.

"...Heather and Dagur with many other Tribes have a history with the Murderous Tribe. The only reason Berk ever became allies with the Berserkers is because the Murderous Tribe interfered with the war between us - and forced both our Tribes to ally against them. We beat them in the end. After that however, Dagur decided to surrender to us rather than propose a truce. I guess something hit him that made him change for the better."

"Hmm, I guess so." Hiccup said as he clutched his hands up into a ball. "But for the Murderous Tribe, it's best we don't _ever_ go near them in the future. From what I've heard from Snotlout, he says it's the biggest Tribe in the Archipelago because it is made up of mongrels, thieves, and warmongers… and of course, murderers."

Astrid nodded her head in agreement. "Then let's hope we don't start a war with them after this one ends. Ivar has been a bigger threat to us for months now, and I say that it's about time that we put him down."

"Aye. I'll be glad to see the day when he falls beneath my blade. Though who knows, maybe Toothless could get the final blow, wouldn't you agree Bud?"

The Night Fury replied with a nod of his head as he crooned in an almost sleepy manner. By then it was late, so it was understandable for Toothless to be exhausted.

Hiccup sighed as he stood from his seat. "It's getting late." he said. "We should get some rest for tomorrow. It's going to be a fast and tiring flight to the Iron Foundry. After we're done there, we'll fly back to Dragon's Wake and-"

As he was about to finish speaking, the suspicious but strange-looking sight of Magnus and Eira caught his attention as he saw the two stand up while holding hands. Both of them were almost laughing.

He watched as Eira, who was drunk, whispered quietly into Magnus' ears before she then jumped up into his arms as their lips roughly met, all before the two of them then quickly stormed towards the doors leading up to the chambers they slept in, still holding hands the entire way.

Hiccup's jaw slightly dropped. "Oh my…"

Astrid arched a brow. "Something wrong Hiccup? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"N- No Astrid." he replied, shaking his head. "It's Magnus and Eira. I think they are both drunk, Astrid. Not just that, but I think they're about to…"

His voice came to a stop on the last two words, but rather than continue, he decided to forget about it.

"What?" asked Astrid, only to see his head shake again.

"It's- it's nothing, Astrid. Let's just allow them have the night to their own."

"Night to their own? What are you-? ...Oh."

…

* * *

 _ **The next morning…**_

The night quickly went by as the morning came silently and swiftly. Many felt unsettled and impatient for what was about to go down that day, especially the Riders.

As they prepared their Dragons to fly out and got ready for what was to come, Magnus sat on his bed with Eira standing in front of him - strapping on his equipment with a determined look on his face.

He then looked up at Eira who gently grabbed his hands as she helped him to his feet.

"That was... quite the night, my _dear._ " he said, teasing her.

She responded jokingly by lightly fisting his shoulder. "Oh stop it." she giggled. "It was just one night to ourselves. It was nothing _that_ special. You're acting as if I was Freya herself!"

"What if you were?" he asked her.

"Oh stop it!" she replied with a lively chuckle. "You're going to make me blush."

Magnus gave a hearty chuckle. "I'm only teasing you. If anything, I'm thinking more about you right now rather than the battle ahead. Though- I will say…"

The room went dead silent. Almost instantly his smile vanished as he let out a light sigh, turning his eyes towards the nearby opened window. To this, Eira immediately felt concerned.

"What's wrong Magnus?" she asked, grasping his left hand with both of her hands.

He shrugged, shaking his head. "Look- Eira…" he said as he looked back at her. "Maybe it's for the best that you don't come with me into this next battle... I want you to stay here."

"What?" she asked. "But why?"

"...It's a reason that is too much for you to take in." he answered. "After what you and I did, I feel like something extraordinary may happen soon."

"What are you talking about? Magnus, we both promised that we would stick with each other wherever we went, until the end - no matter the risks-"

"I don't want to risk you in this one, Eira." he said, placing his other hand onto hers. "Look, you and I are well aware what we did last night. If what I think will happen does become a reality, then I want to ensure that neither you nor what may be in you gets hurt."

"But- but what if you get hurt?" Eira blinked, stuttering in her words. "I don't want you to be-"

"I would rather be on the brink of death rather than risk _our_ future bloodline, Eira!" he let out, but not before his voice quickly dropped to a hush tone.

"Eira, please understand that you and I are family now, but it was several battles ago that you nearly lost your life, even when we had the upper hand. I don't want that to happen again. If you were _ever_ carrying a babe in you, you would be risking both yourself and our child. You know that..."

"I do, Magnus, it's just that I- ...I understand. If you have to go alone to protect me, then I'll stay here until you return."

Eira let out a sigh, lowering her head just before Magnus laid the tip of his fingers under her chin, lifting her face up to meet his.

"I promise I'll be back with Thorwind before tonight, healthy and well." he said, smiling. "The Battleborn guards will keep you safe, I promise-"

The sudden knock on their door caught their attention as Hiccup's voice muffled loudly through. _"It's time, Magnus. We're ready."_

"I'll be on my way in a moment." he replied.

As Magnus' eyes then looked back towards Eira, he noticed she had a tear building up in her left eye. He quickly reached his finger to her eye and wiped it away before moving his head forward to hers, kissing her on the lips for what seemed like half a minute.

He then gently separated from her, pulling back as he made his way to the door, looking back and saying "I love you, Eira." before finally heading down to make his leave.

Eira sighed as she stood there all alone in the room, giving an almost emotionless expression.

"I love you too, Magnus…"

…

* * *

"What do you mean there isn't going to be any reinforcements, commander?! Did I not give you a direct order to travel to the Forgework Harbor before the battle even began to prepare our fleet? You come back empty handed without a response, so I will ask again; WHAT THE HEL HAPPENED!?"

Vlar paced back and forth, glaring at his commander. He and the remains of his Clan - now numbering two thousand - positioned themselves in the opening a couple of miles away from the Iron Foundry, with the Fortress in plain sight from the far distance. Too exhausted to continue on after the long march, they all camped for a quick rest but remained close.

The same however could not be said for the Chieftain of the Iron Wolf Clan as he intimidated his commander.

The warrior stuttered in his words. "I'm telling you Chief, I did all I could! When I arrived at the Forgework Harbor, there was almost nothing left of it! In a flash, the whole place just blew up into flames! I-"

"Blew up?" Vlar interrupted. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT JUST BLEW UP!? Unless one of the Devastators were sabotaged or one of the ships with oil and tar supplies were set aflame, nothing could have gone in and destroyed the Harbor! I ordered it to be fortified to the extreme-"

"It was destroyed by Dragon Riders, Chieftain!" the commander answered. "They all came in by the hundreds atop their Dragons, wearing Berkian colors, but I never once saw any of them on the battlefield!"

"Impossible." the Chief growled. "First I learn that the Forgework Harbor was destroyed, and now I learn that Haddock's Tribe has somehow mustered a Dragon army!? Do you know what this means, commander!? We're doomed dammit! If it wasn't for your slow pacing we could have received reinforcements from Kattegat! You have failed me!"

"But Chieftain, King Ivar would have never allowed us to take any of his forces from Kattegat. He specifically mentioned that-"

Vlar slammed the head of his warhammer down to the ground, once more interrupting the warrior. "Not unless it was an emergency, commander. We could have won this battle if-!"

His words immediately ceased as the sound of something big and large caught him, his commander, and all of his warriors by surprise.

An explosion bursted out from the Iron Foundry in the distance. Vlar could see a few chimneys from afar quickly fall apart into bricks of stone rubble as another explosion followed. Then another followed, and then another.

His Fortress was now in flames, and the fire was quickly spreading.

He took a step forward, still facing the burning Foundry which was slowly beginning to crumble and come down, yet as he squinted his eyes he was able to spot the distant silhouettes of six flying Dragons coming towards them.

One them he was able to recognize due to the familiar figure of a Night Fury.

"Hiccup you fool…" he grunted in a deep voice. "How could he have known from the start that my Fortress was emptied out and unguarded!? How did he…"

"Warlord!" a voice called out.

Vlar's attention quickly turned to the South, spotting a scout from atop a horse riding towards him with haste, not bothering to dismount as she stopped before the Warlord.

"Warlord Vlar!" she said, addressing him. "We've spotted enemy forces marching hastily towards our position. It's an entire army!"

"How many?" he asked.

"Too many! We're outnumbered more than two to one! Our foe could be here at any moment and-!"

Before they knew it, the sounding of horns from the South caught them off guard as they could hear the distant marching of boots coming towards them.

And then they saw it. Up ahead, Vlar could see the figures of thousands of Vikings marching towards him, all armed and well-equipped to take him and his warriors on. Yet even as he still heard the explosions bursting from his Foundry, he knew there and then that he was in a doomed position.

From Hiccup's point of view however, he knew that things were about to get heated up.

As he soared through the air atop Toothless, he looked to his left and right flanks at the Riders that flew with him, giving them a nod.

"Alright, gang!" he said. "We've made it this far, so let's make this count! Attack them where they are weak and vulnerable!"

Magnus gave a nod. "We're ready for anything!"

"Let's do this!" Tuffnut cheered.

"Alright!" chuckled Snotlout. "Time to kick some butt!"

As the Riders continued to close in, Vlar glared down Hiccup and the Dragon Riders with hate, all whilst ignoring his men who were running around the camp without order in an attempt to arm themselves for the unexpected ambush.

Toothless then lit his mouth up with purple flames, and then it happened…

"Toothless, plasma blast!"

* * *

 **Just as a quick A/N before ending this chapter off, I want to say that next chapter will be a battle chapter, but it will only last one chapter because since we know Vlar is outnumbered and outmatched, so you may probably already assume that he is screwed!**

 **Also, yes - Magnus and Eira did get it on since they had a bit too much mead. But hey, that's Vikings for ya. :D**

 **Thanks for reading! (Also goodbye 2018, and hello 2019!)**


	70. Fire, Snow, and Lightning

**Happy New Year everyone!**

 **Now, I would like to say before beginning that this chapter is a battle chapter, but it is change up a bit. It will take the point of view of only two of our protagonists going up against one of our antagonists, but I will say that did enjoy writing this one!**

 **Also, you may possibly be mindblown once nearing the end of this chapter since something quite _unique_ will happen which will change how things will go for one of our characters. **

**As usual for battles, I recommend listening to epic cinematic music for a better reading experience! Trust me, it will help.**

 **Now then, let's begin!**

* * *

Some time had passed since the battle began.

The skies above the battlefield appeared as if they were torn in two. From the East, the sun shone through the grey clouds onto the armies that fought as the Vikings and Slavic warriors clashed against each other, with the enemy being outnumbered and outmatched by the united force of the Vikings.

From the West, dark clouds flashing with lightning began to slowly close in - booming to the sound of thunder as if the Gods themselves were watching the battle. To them, it would have been amusing.

But the same could not be said for the Warlord of the Great Army.

Vlar grabbed ahold of rocky soil with his hand as he made his way out of battle after slaying a few dozen Vikings, climbing up a small hill to safety as he felt a light but cold breeze hit his face.

Snow began to fall.

As he eventually made it to the top he fell to his knees in exhaustion, looking back at the Iron Foundry which was burning in the distance, still crumbling down to bits.

All the meanwhile, he was able to see all around that his army was entirely surrounded - unable to make their way out as they were slowly being slaughtered. The battle on his side was a total disaster.

Vlar sighed, giving off a grim expression from his face. "Dammit all…" he said. "Why have the Gods forsaken me to die in this wasteland? Victory should have been mine!"

The Chieftain, although tired from battle, found the strength to stand to his feet as he felt his blood begin to heat up. He straightened himself out, turning his gaze to look out over the ruined battlefield. From where he stood, he could see almost everything.

He grunted, tightly gripping his warhammer with both hands as he looked up towards the skies. "HICCUP HADDOCK, SHOW YOURSELF! FACE ME YOURSELF YOU COWARDLY BOY!"

"VLAR!"

Hiccup's voice echoed through the air, catching the Warlord's attention with his gaze now turned East. He spotted the figures of both Hiccup and Toothless flying down towards him, landing more than a few feet in front of him.

The young Viking quickly dismounted off of his growling Night Fury, unsheathing his fiery sword as he pointed it towards Vlar.

The angered Chieftain grumbled. "You…" he said. "How could _you_ have accomplished all of this!? You were not meant to win, Haddock! Ivar said that _we_ would win! All of the Chieftains foresaw this! How could you still be fighting!?"

"It's because Ivar has blinded you from the truth!" replied Hiccup as his hand motioned towards the Iron Wolf's forces. "Look around you Vlar! You are surrounded! You are outmatched and outnumbered! You cannot win this one. If you surrender now, I will end this swiftly and painlessly!"

"NEVER!" Vlar roared. "Our Great Army will NEVER yield! ...You on the other hand have just signed your own death wish!"

As Vlar glared at Hiccup, the lad noticed that the Chieftain's warhammer slowly rose up above his head, looking as if it was ready for a pounding.

"You have a _fine_ weapon, Haddock!" he taunted. "But that crummy piece of metal won't be able to help you! I too have made advancements to my own weapon!"

Suddenly, Vlar brought his hammer swinging down towards the rocky ground - hitting it with an impact so great that it caused sparks to go flying as a result of the metal head of the hammer and the rocks clashing.

Then something unexpected happened.

Almost immediately, the head of the warhammer lit up into flames in a similar fashion as Hiccup's blade. The metal heated up heavily to the point where it began to glow a bright orange.

Hiccup looked at Vlar with disbelief. "What? But how is that possible!?"

"My warhammer was coated with oil this morning before our fight even began!" he laughed. "Along with that, the metal of my weapon is flammable!"

Vlar rose his hammer to his shoulder, now smirking. "How grateful that you and your Dragon volunteered in being among the many to die by it! I will first smash your head to pieces Hiccup Haddock, and then I will carve the skin off of your Night Fury! Now... DIE!"

The Chieftain without warning quickly rushed towards Hiccup and Toothless, causing the lad to raise his blade up as he spun his head to his Dragon.

"Pounce back Bud! Get out of the way!"

Just in time Toothless quickly leaped away from the oncoming attack, dodging Vlar's large swing as his hammer instead clashed with Hiccup's sturdy blade.

Hiccup attempted to push back the hammer in an attempt to break the weapon lock, but it seemed that Vlar was too strong as he was able to push the Dragon's Blade close to Hiccup's face to the point where it was but a few inches away from his eye.

In a dangerous move, Hiccup brought his blade to the side, breaking the lock as he quickly but riskily rolled around the Warlord's left leg, successfully landing behind him as he ferociously sliced at the back of his ankle.

Vlar screamed in anger and pain as he felt the fiery sword pierce the back of his leg, but that gave him more fuel for his fire.

The Warlord in response swung his hammer back around in an attempt to bash his weapon into Hiccup, but his lack of leverage as a result of Hiccup's strike caused him to miss, and this once again gave Hiccup the advantage.

Knowing Vlar's moves were strong and quick, but also lazy, Hiccup took full advantage of it, knowing that it would be best to attack whenever he was opened whilst avoiding clashing his sword with the Warlord's weapon as he would be easily overwhelmed.

Hiccup swiftly ducked underneath Vlar's lazy swing, causing him to miss his attack which in turn also exposed his chest and limbs to the young Viking's blade. With two hasty and precise attacks, Hiccup sliced his sword across the vulnerable right side of Vlar's chest, causing him to let out a bellowing roar. Along with that, blood could also clearly be seen seeping out from the grievous wounds.

Vlar looked down at the side of his chest, growling. His gambeson was torn, and the weak side part of his chest plate had somehow been easily shattered. He even noticed that part of his inflicted wounds were cauterized, adding more pain to what he already had.

He looked back at Hiccup, now raging like an angry bull. "I WILL BURN YOU FROM SKIN TO BONE, HADDOCK! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE!"

Vlar was once more ready to run at Hiccup, raising his warhammer angrily to his right shoulder as he grinded his boots into the rocky ground.

At the last second, Hiccup looked back at Toothless, giving him the signal.

"NOW BUD!"

Being too focused on Hiccup, Vlar had for the most-part forgotten about Toothless, because before the Warlord knew it - he felt a fiery sensation hit his chest directly.

A plasma blast from Toothless came hurling towards Vlar, causing him to fall straight onto his back as he groaned in pain. But even with all of the effort Hiccup gave in stopping him, it seemed like the Warlord still would not give up.

He quickly stood up, re-engaging Hiccup as he swung his hammer and once more began clashing with the lad's fiery blade. Hiccup unwillingly had no choice but strike back at the Warlord's weapon, seeing as how Vlar began to understand the Viking's tactics at how he struck him. Almost immediately, Hiccup's strategy became useless.

But then a new idea came to mind.

Rather than do something complex as he tried to do, he decided to go with the simpler yet effective and creative strategy - to parry his foe's attacks.

Knowing now how heavy Vlar's attacks were, Hiccup focused on making his parries quick enough to where he could easily strike the Iron Wolf without having to force himself into a weapon lock or have himself exposed and opened to the Warlord's attacks.

To do this, Hiccup used Vlar's own warhammer against him. Knowing that it was heavy, he parried the weapon away, causing the weight of the hammer to swing it into a completely different direction. This caused Vlar to swing himself where the hammer struck, which also left an opening for Hiccup to attack as he would slice and dice his Dragon's Blade at the Chieftain whenever he saw a vulnerable spot.

Hiccup struck first at his legs to slow his movement down, thus greatening the effects of the hammer's weight for Vlar. He then aimed towards Vlar's arms, causing him to weaken his grip and strength on his weapon as he felt it become heavier and heavier in hands, thus exhausting him further to where his face was exposed.

Seeing the moment dawn upon him, Hiccup tightened his right hand into a fist and with an effective and direct punch he brutally struck Vlar's face, particularly right in his nose.

The Warlord backed up a few steps, surprised as to what someone as scrawny as Hiccup just did. But before he could react, he felt his entire body drain almost entirely as he fell to his knees, still looking up at Hiccup with shock - and then hatred.

In an attempt to retaliate, Vlar slowly tried to stand up to his feet, but found himself back down on his knees as bent his back forward with exhaustion, coughing from the rough and brutal fight that had lasted thus far for many minutes.

He spat on the ground in a mocking manner, looking up at Hiccup with a glare. "Why do you still fight?" he asked. "How is it possible that a pup like you has managed strike me like _this!?_ Why won't you just die already, or even consider surrendering!?"

"...It's because I believed in hope. I believed in not just myself, but as well as those who followed me." he said, taking few steps closer towards Vlar. "Unlike you and the other Chieftains who lacked thinking, I knew my boundaries. I knew my limits because my friends taught me to be who I really was. A Viking, a leader, and a son..."

Hiccup let out a sigh, thinking about all of the accomplishments that he had won over despite all odds.

"Let me start from the beginning." he began. "Your King's puppet Olaf; he was arrogant in his ways. He relied too little on thinking, and more on being aggressive. His acts of rushing to the front like the warmonger he was led to his doom, showing that your Great _Heathen_ Army was not unbeatable."

"Frode of the Dark Eye Clan - your proclaimed seer; he did not know his limits when it came to strategy. His belief that the Gods were guiding him quickly became his downfall. His underestimation was why he failed to understand the true victor, thus it's why he was taken down in the end."

"Karvein of the Bloody Berserkers. His greatest weakness was his feelings. He thought too much about the spoils of war, and as well as spilling blood whenever he could. As a result, he began to doubt himself, and that led to his end as he questioned Ivar's promise of victory."

"Hjalmar of the Broken Axe Clan. Your ally last battle fell to my blade after his bloodlust took over. His rage and his anger was what led to him becoming so vulnerable. He was blinded by a red frenzy that costed him his life. Even after all that he accomplished, in the end the handless Chieftain was unable to take us out."

Hiccup paused for a moment, taking a few more steps forward until he finally stood before Vlar and knelt down to his level.

"And then there's you, Iron Wolf. If anything, your ego and desire for conquest was your biggest weakness. You focused more on your machines of war and constructs rather than training and fighting alongside your own men. Even after what happened at Skyrsdok, I now realize that not even a single Devastator that you make is enough to break us. It is because of your greed and pride that you failed, and that your precious Foundry burns."

"Either way, enough is enough, and your reign ends today."

Vlar chuckled. "You talk too much, Haddock… But you know what? You are right. It does end today… WITH YOUR DEATH!"

Hiccup was instantly taken by surprise. Without hesitation, Vlar threw a punch at Hiccup, landing a blow against his chest which sent him hurling back almost a few feet. As Hiccup fell to the rocky ground, he felt surges of pain course through his chest in multiple places, almost as if he was bruised by multiple Vikings at once.

Unexpectedly to Hiccup's surprise, Vlar found the strength to lift himself back up to his feet as he slowly began to make his way towards Hiccup.

Before he could do much however, he soon found himself in the clutches of Toothless as the Night Fury managed to pounce onto him. Toothless growled and roared in his face, attempting to bite down on him and injure him. Once again however, Vlar would pull a trick up his sleeve.

The Warlord tightened his hand into a fist, and with a single punch to a sensitive spot on the side of Toothless' head he managed to knock the Dragon out unconscious, leaving Hiccup alone in the fight.

"NO!"

Hiccup screamed loudly as he watched Toothless easily get bested by the Warlord, and it wouldn't be long until Vlar's attention turned back onto him. He would begin limping towards him with what he could muster, and yet it seemed like his strength was starting to return.

"Looks like you were wrong Haddock!" he cackled as he continued limping towards Hiccup who laid there out of breath, completely helpless.

Surprisingly however, his situation would not go unnoticed as a voice bellowed loudly from the air above, catching Vlar's attention.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

And then after that, it happened. A flash of lightning brightened the skies, blinding everyone's vision on the battlefield for just a moment as if time itself had stopped. But when the blinding light cleared, Vlar widened his eyes as he saw young man and his lightning shocked Skrill who were not there a moment ago now stand before him.

It was Magnus.

Vlar gritted his teeth, making a mocking gesture with his hammer. "Well would you look at that!" he said. "Haddock has a guardian warrior to defend himself like the weakling he is! Tell me, who are you supposed to be again? His brother?"

"I wish I was..." he replied back. "But how about you take on someone your own size? Let's make this a fair fight Vlar. It's just you and me."

The Warlord chuckled, spinning his hammer with both hands as he and Magnus positioned themselves into a combat ready stance.

"Oh I'm so ready for round two! Come! Meet my hammer, Viking!"

Magnus quickly looked back at his Dragon. "Fly up Thorwind, and wait for my signal!"

Thorwind gladly obliged, swiftly taking off back into the air with electricity sparking through his entire body. After he took off, Magnus and Vlar ran at each other - throwing their weapons forward and colliding them with one another. As they clashed, bolts of lightning struck from the sky, thus came the lightning storm.

Being slightly taller and as well as somewhat stronger than Hiccup, Magnus had ability he needed to hold his sword Nördar against Vlar's hammer, especially since the hilt on his blade gave him a better grip in his leverage.

"Impressive!" Vlar cackled in the midst of the lightning flashes. "You carry a blessed runed blade into battle, but it won't be enough against _real_ steel and iron! I will shatter your toy sword into splinters!"

"Not unless it shatters you first…" Magnus grunted as he pushed his blade forward with strong force, using his leverage to break the weapon lock, and surprisingly he was able to overpower Vlar's strength. Despite all the Warlord had to give, he was now equally matched.

Magnus spun his sword mockingly as he forced Vlar back a few steps, smirking. "I thought you were strong and mighty, Warlord! Then again, your lack of skill shows you are no better than Ivar's former puppet Olaf. If anything, you too are a puppet of his. Deep down, you know you are!"

"You fool!" spat Vlar. "I am the right hand of King Ivar the Boneless! He chose me to lead his armies for a reason, and I will gladly fight for him until my dying breath! Or until YOURS!"

After regathering his breath, Vlar once again angrily rushed towards Magnus, attempting to land an arcing swing on him with his fiery hammer as he aimed for the Warsung Viking's chest. But even with his brute speed, Magnus was able to dodge his attack, sliding underneath Vlar's warhammer before responding with a quick strike.

Noticing the wounds on Vlar's chest - Magnus landed a hit on them, and with success he struck with Nördar where Hiccup already attacked, causing more pain than there already was for the Iron Wolf Chieftain as he let out a loud agonizing groan.

Vlar turned his head back, gazing at Magnus who stood behind him - uninjured, and without taking any precaution he arrogantly charged the swift and skilled Viking, re-engaging him.

From there their fight began to play out.

Though Vlar thought he was equally matched, what he did not know was that Magnus now had the advantage. With his strength gathered up, the Warlord focused on attempting to make swift heavy attacks and dashes with his weapon, but the heaviness of his warhammer limited so much to what he could do. Most of the time his attacks would miss, and other times all he could do was land decent bashes and strike against the side of Magnus' chest, and as well as his upper limbs. As whole however, his attacks were not great.

For Magnus however, things were about to turn in his favor.

The young warrior knew that the best way to weaken Vlar was to attack where he had already been struck by Hiccup. Using the momentum to his advantage, he would constantly circle around Vlar to slow him down as he still struck - all whilst parrying his attacks and dodging any blows he attempted to make. When an opening was clear for Magnus, he would focus on striking his blade over the wounds Hiccup made, and with every successful attack he made them more grievous and painful for Vlar.

Most times, Magnus would even slice at Vlar's hands to make him weaken the grip on his hammer, and yet despite all the blows he took from the fiery weapon he would still not give in so easily.

If anything, it became obvious that victory was in Magnus' grasp.

After an intensive round of landing their attacks on one another, Vlar retreated a few paces back while Magnus ran near Hiccup's side. The two of them glared at each other as the lightning in the skies began to intensify. Every minute that passed, half a dozen bolts of lightning struck above them, signifying how tense the battle was getting.

Vlar spoke in a guttural but breathy tone. "Gah, why… why won't you just die already!? Why do you still fight dammit!?"

"Have you learned nothing from your many defeats, Iron Wolf?" Magnus sighed as he oddly pointed his sword, giving a nod at Thorwind who flew around the hill whilst striking lightning down on the enemy. "Even now your own body betrays you. We know you don't have the strength to fight on forever! Surrender, or I'll end this myself!"

"You're a fool, young warrior!" shouted Vlar as he prepared to charge Magnus. "Didn't anyone ever bother to tell you!? NEVER PLAY WITH FIRE! GRAAAGH!"

The moment Vlar charged, Magnus swiftly ran right in front of Hiccup to give him cover for what was about to happen. He then rose his voice up and shouted out towards Thorwind as loud as he could. "NOW!"

Thorwind heard his call, and the Skrill answered. The Dragon immediately stopped in place, beating his wings as he focused on Magnus' sword Nördar. Thorwind then opened his mouth up widely, revealing the bright blue light of electricity that was beginning to charge up, and at the very last second he let it all out.

Before Vlar could even reach Magnus, the powerful beam of electricity from Thorwind struck Magnus' sword, causing an exploding wave of lightning to burst outwards directly towards Vlar which hurled him back with a powerful force. At the same time, a blinding blue light flashed over everything and everyone around the battlefield - blinding their sight once again for merely a few seconds.

As the flash cleared, Vlar looked back at where his combatant stood, feeling severely weakened, and yet upon laying his eyes on Magnus and Hiccup he was surprised and shocked to his very core.

Both of them were completely unharmed.

What was more surprising however was that Magnus' sword Nördar was literally coursing with lightning itself. Long sparks of electricity ran up and down the blade of the sword constantly, and even the runes sparked. From his point of view it appeared as if the sword was glowing, and yet it was not magic.

Vlar gasped, almost frightened. "H- how? How are you not dead!? How is this possible!?"

"It's called ingenuity, Vlar." calmly spoke Magnus. "Something you failed to master or even understand. You could have never come up with anything like this, nor could it have been better. Even now there is a place Helheim waiting just for you."

"GRAAAH!" Vlar screamed. "JUST DIE ALREADY!"

The Warlord let out a bellowing roar as he lunged towards Magnus, jumping as high as he could into the air with what strength he had left. Magnus too responded by leaping up into the air, raising his sword above his head as he was about to collide with Vlar. As they jumped at each other, lightning crackled the sky and thunder boomed as loud as Thor beating his hammer.

...And then the two combatants clashed, with Vlar screaming in misery and agony he was pushed down towards the ground, feeling what felt like a thousand bolts of lightning run through his body and weapon as Nördar met with the metallic head of his hammer, electrocuting him.

It was then however that the electricity began to overcharge as a result of the metal from his armor, weapon, and from Magnus' sword Nördar colliding, and before he knew it, he was once again blasted back more than a few feet by a smaller but more powerful explosion of lightning. The burst let out a light but sudden flash that caused both of them to flinch.

As Vlar landed on his back, he immediately felt his body become severely weakened as if his body was drained completely of all its strength. His skin was burnt heavily, and slowly he felt his heart beginning to fail him.

His life began to drain from him.

Magnus took some steps towards Vlar, before placing his foot on top of the broken Warlord's chest as he inspected the damage that was done to his foe. He knew there was no need to make a finishing blow.

"May you rest in Helheim, scum." Magnus said with a deeper voice, only to receive no response from Vlar. He noticed that the Chieftain's chest was no longer pumping air, and that his skin had gone completely pale with no trace of breath left in him.

Vlar, the Warlord of the Great Army, laid lifeless. He was no more.

As Magnus stepped off the corpse of the dead Iron Wolf Chieftain, he let out a sigh relief, turning his gaze to the North where he could see the Iron Foundry come crumbling down on itself, collapsing into rubble and brimstone until it was completely destroyed.

From all around, the cheers of Vikings could also be heard as their weapons were raised to the sky that now began to shine the light of day onto them. After the intense carnage of the battle, they were finally victorious.

Magnus smiled, but then noticed Hiccup attempting to slowly stand to his feet to which he rushed over to help him up, placing his arm around the lad's shoulders until he was straightened out.

"...We did it Magnus." groaned Hiccup as he grinned. "We actually beat them. Though I will say for the record; that thing you did with the lightning was… unique and amazing."

"Aye, it was." replied Magnus, placing both of his hands on Hiccup's shoulders. "But it's not over yet, lad. Even with Vlar's death, we still have one more opponent in our way who we have to beat."

Hiccup nodded his head. "Ivar." he said, speaking weakly, though he was about to continue talking - the sound of a familiar warble interrupted him and caught his attention as his eyes glanced to the right.

Toothless stood on all fours, gazing back at Hiccup with an expression of pride in his eyes after noticing the corpse of Vlar. However, he was also a little bit confused.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out, smiling.

The Dragon in response made his way over to his Rider, and for a moment both he and Hiccup laid their heads against each other with relief that they were alive. In that moment, the two felt a warm breeze hit their faces for the first time in months. To Hiccup, it was like a calling from home.

"Oh Bud, I thought I had lost you there." he said, smiling. "Now that this battle is over though, I can tell you that soon we will be going home. At least, after we've dealt with Ivar."

Toothless let out a light huff of air, before narrowing his head towards the corpse of Vlar, pointing out the Warlord's corpse as it was all burnt and pale.

Hiccup shook his head, shrugging. "Oh, that wasn't me, Bud..." he said, before looking back at Magnus.

The older Viking was smiling, staring at Thorwind who still was flying around up above, breathing out shocks of lightning in victory.

"Um, Magnus… about the lightning that struck your sword... How exactly were able to make it...?"

"It's a long story Hiccup." Magnus answered, looking back at Hiccup. "I'll tell you all you need to know about it once we get back to Dragon's Wake. For now though, let's rally our forces and return to Strongholm. It's been a long day, and we deserve this victory…"

* * *

 **Just a quick A/N in case you are confused. If you are basically wondering what in the name of Thor happened with Magnus' sword Nördar, all I can tell you without spoilers is that the reason Magnus was able to wield lightning in his blade is because of something that is in it, or rather on it (and it is not the runes!). And I will admit, that went quickly from zero to one hundred!**

 **Anyways, if you guys enjoyed this, I am glad you enjoyed!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	71. Not Safe

**Continuing from the last chapter I would like to say that although the conflict in this story is not over, things from here on out will intensify due to what will soon happen. But before we can reach that point, we'll just have to keep on going.**

 **I'd also like to point out before beginning that this story has once again reached a milestone. Two hundred followers! Thank you guys for the support! It really means much to me!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **One week later…**_

The sun lightly shone over Dragon's Wake as the warriors and maidens worked around every part of the town, all while making themselves prepared for the final battle that laid ahead of them.

They all knew sooner or later that the fight which would dictate the end of the war would soon come.

And though many were patient, the same could not be said for others, including the Chieftains.

From within the Mead Hall, the Chieftains along with Hiccup, Astrid, the sons of Ragnar Lothbrök, and the rest of the group discussed about their next and final course of action, and it was getting heated.

Dagur slammed his hand on the table as he spoke eagerly. "The time is now! I say we should strike at Ivar when he returns and cut the head off the filthy dog! It's time he pays for what he's done!"

Almost immediately a bunch of 'ayes' filled the room, but others had their doubts.

Eret spoke up. "My friend, we have no idea where Ivar is. We don't even know if he has returned to Scandinavia, and if we did know we would not stand a chance against him out in the open. He still has a large army behind him!"

Another series of 'ayes' once more filled the room on Eret's side, but the Thunderhead Chieftain would reply in disagreement.

"That does not mean we should stop now! Consider what we have done: we managed to wipe out more than half of Ivar's Great Army." replied Snorre. "The Thunderheads like many other Tribes fought fiercely on every battlefield we went through. We know what it was like. I say we should strike now!"

"And risk more to die?" asked Ubba. "You do not know Ivar as well as I know him. Though my brother is young, he is still a genius at strategy and battling. He would crush us if we ever got in his way directly, and right now he still stands strong. But you- you're suggesting suicide you crazed-"

"Silence!" Hiccup spoke, catching the attention of the whole group as the Hall went quiet.

"...Look guys, Ubba's right. You all need to understand that it was both he and his Clan, the Völsung Clan, who dealt the most damage to us. It was not the Dark Eye, not the Bloody Berserkers, not the Broken Axe, and not the Iron Wolf. From this, I can tell you that his Clan will prove to be the most challenging of all… and he still has allies that help make up his ranks."

"Aye, he does." nodded Stoick. "From what my scouts were able to gather, Ivar has enlisted the help of the Germanic Saxons from Southern Denmark, and as well as his elite guard: the Jomsvikings. Along with that, he still has warriors in his ranks from his former allied Clans. Add it all together and we would be going up against more than eight thousand troops."

"Then we won't be able to take them on in the open field." said Magnus as he stared down at the map of Norway in front of him. "The only hope we would have would be to encase them in an area they would have a difficult time reaching us. Like a cliff or large hill. Like a…"

As he gazed and scanned over the map, something immediately caught his attention which caused his eyes to widen. "Perfect." he said.

Hiccup arched a brow. "What is it Magnus? Did you find something?"

The Warsung Chieftain nodded. "Aye. From what I see here, there is a large cliff nearly ten miles away from Kattegat which could be a perfect spot for us to camp our forces and attract Ivar. The only way that he could get his army up it is by positioning in front of the hill leading up, and taking it."

"However, this would cause a problem for them. Judging by how high the cliff looks, this hill would be steep enough to tire out Ivar's warriors if they ever attempted to climb up it. If anything, our horses could run them down and cause massive amounts of damage to their front lines, and we could even have archers positioned at the top to shoot down at them. In my opinion, I say we should use this landmark."

From hearing this information, the Chieftains looked back at each other and began talking quietly amongst one another, most likely considering whether the area was or was not a good strategic point of defense.

Then another voice spoke up. Astrid's.

"I agree with Magnus. This position could be our main front against Ivar until we can weaken him down. Plus, we must take into account that this place is near Kattegat - Ivar's capital and base of operations. If he comes to us the moment we are prepared to face him, he would be walking himself into a trap."

"It would also take him a while to find us." said Heather. "The more time he would spend looking, the better we can prepare ourselves for the worst. I say we should do it."

"Very well." nodded Hiccup, looking back at the Chieftains. "Any objections?"

No one spoke a word. It was clear that the plan was well thought out, and their momentum and confidence for taking on Ivar had gone up ten fold. They wanted a fight, and Hiccup knew this.

The young Heir gave a sign of approval. "Good… Now, if we're to obtain the element of surprise - we'll have to prepare hastily before Ivar can discover us. Chieftains, here is what I want you all to do in the meantime:"

"Dad, Alvin, Eret, Dagur, and Mala. I need you guys to get as many warriors and maidens as we have mustered and ready for this battle. They may have their doubts, so I'd like you to inspire them for the fight to come. Get as many of them willing to march with us. If they are confident enough, they will bolster themselves for this battle."

"Very well." said Stoick.

"Magnus, Eira, Sigurd, Hvitserk, and Ubba. Do what you can to get more supplies for our forces in case anything goes wrong. We need more horses tamed, we need to make siege weapons, and we need to forge stronger equipment. We need to be prepared defensively for this fight, alright?"

The four young men gave silent nods, with Magnus replying "As you wish" in an attentive manner.

"Arngrim, Snorre, Bertha, and Mogadon. You guys are experienced when it comes to skill and brute force. I want you to train our warriors and maidens from _all_ of the Tribes and get them ready physically for what's to come. Get them built up and give them the best training possible, but do not go too hard on them."

"As you command, Heir of Berk." smirked Mogadon.

Hiccup sighed, nodding in approval at his decisions. "You all have your orders. Let's get this carried out and prepare ourselves for what could be the fight for our lives. If we're to ever push Ivar back to Kattegat and siege it, we'll need to-"

" _Chief Stoick!"_

A voice called out Stoick's name as a warrior came rushing in with haste and excitement, almost as if he had seen something that made him feel that way.

Stoick stood to his feet, curious. "What is it, warrior? You look as if you've seen Odin himself."

"Gobber, Stoick!" the warrior said, smiling. "Gobber is here!"

Stoick's eyes widened with confusion. "What?"

"But why, and how?" asked Astrid. "Gobber could not have possibly been able to track us down unless he had help. It's not like he-"

"He came here on top of his Dragon!" the man answered quickly. "He says he has something to tell to Hiccup, Stoick, and the Dragon Riders."

…

* * *

"Stoick! It's great ta see ya!"

Gobber's voice caught the group's attention as they made their way towards the center of the town, and upon seeing the blonde Viking along with his Dragon - they were shocked.

"...Gobber. You actually bonded with a Dragon?" asked Stoick, receiving a nod in response from the blacksmith.

"Aye! Believe as ye may, but I along with many others scoured across tha Archipelago in search o' Dragons ta bond, train, an' make peace with. This big ol' lad 'ere is named Grump. Aye he can be lazy, but he's a great Dragon!"

Fishlegs gasped in amazement. "A new species of Dragons? No way! I can even tell right away that it's a boulder class Dragon! Oh it looks amazing!"

"Ugh, ya already have yer own Dragon, Fishlegs. Ya keep away from mine an' stick with yers, alright?"

"Sorry Gobber." the excited Ingerman chuckled. "It's just great to see a new species of Dragons for once. Haven't seen any other Dragons since the last battle."

"And yet we still have another one ahead, and it just may completely turn the tide of this war to assure our victory."

Magnus' familiar voice caught Gobber's attention, and as he eyed the young man next to Eira, he gave a smile.

"Ah, Magnus! Yer a sight fer sore eyes!" he said, walking up to the cheerful lad and patting his shoulder. "I must say, ya look stronger. Both ye an' Hiccup. Have ye been practicing?"

"Well technically our battles have been how we practiced." said Hiccup. "Plus, ever since Magnus became Chief of the Warsung Tribe he began perfecting his fighting skills. He even took down Ivar's right hand Vlar with a lightning bolt."

Gobber's jaw dropped with surprise as he slowly took in what he heard. He saw that the lad had indeed changed. "Ye became a Chief, an' ye took down Ivar's second in command with a lightning bolt? Have ye been blessed by Thor o' somethin'?"

Magnus chuckled, shaking his head. "It's because of my sword Nördar. When I reforged it I decided to melt in small shards of a particular iron that have the ability to attract lightning easily. The rest of the blade for some reason however can't attract it as well due to what it's made out of, which is why I wasn't shocked by it. Though I will say, my father never really said what he used to make this blade in the first place."

"It'll remain a mystery to me."

"Tha' may be. Amazing as it is, there's somethin' important I have ta share with ye."

"About what, Gobber?" questioned Hiccup. "Why exactly are you here to help us? And why bond with Dragons now?"

"It's ta fight Ivar o' course." Gobber sighed uneasily as he lowered his voice. "But Stoick, I need ta tell ye about tha Dragon army Berk 'as grown ta help ye with, an' as well as somethin' more important. Ivar, he- ... he's bringing somethin' tha' we cannot stand against alone. A beast beyond any ye've seen."

Stoick's face immediately went grim. "...Let us talk in private. Magnus, you too."

…

* * *

"A large Dragon? Under Ivar's command? How is that possible?" asked Magnus.

Gobber merely shrugged as he drank from his mead. "I asked m'self tha same thing when I discovered about it. From what Gothi told me about her vision, she said tha' she saw Ivar standin' in tha center of a fiery battlefield, wielding some sort'a long spear-like weapon in 'is hand, and behind him she saw tha beast."

"Tha' was when I felt afraid…"

Stoick slowly nodded his head as he felt his stomach churn with dread. "And you're saying that Ivar is sending this beast after my son? ...How big are we talking?"

"Tha size of a mountain, Stoick." answered Gobber. "...Well, it's as Gothi described it, but it really isn't. Aye it's still big - but it's enough ta swallow half a dozen Dragons whole. Stoick, Hiccup is in danger."

The troubled Chieftain grumbled as he thought about the matter, now fearful for how his son would react. "When Ivar began his invasion of the Archipelago months ago, Hiccup tried to hide how big the threat actually was from me, fearing that I would lose my sanity and hope. He may have been wrong…"

"But I would without a doubt go insane if I heard that a giant Dragon was chasing after me."

"So what are you saying exactly?" asked Magnus. "That we should hide this information from Hiccup?"

"Exactly." nodded Stoick. "As much as how Hiccup is now a man, he is also still a boy. He is _my_ boy, and although I was not there to help him against Vlar which I regret doing, I still care for his safety. If he finds out, he may lose the will to fight."

"An' what if he does find out, Stoick?" questioned Gobber, placing down his mug. "We don't even know how he will react."

"And that is exactly why I want to keep this information away from him. We don't know what he will say or what he will do, so I want to make sure that he won't feel afraid or lose his mind in case he does. Until then however, let us continue as planned."

Gobber placed his hand on the Chieftain's shoulder, patting him. "Don't worry Stoick." he said. "As long as I an' our Dragon army are with us, Hiccup should be safe."

"...What is this army you speak of?" asked Magnus. "Why did you even build a Dragon army, and how were you even able to?"

"Tha what, why, an' how eh?" the smithy chuckled. "Well, when we heard about tha danger, many stood up ta tha plate wanting ta help. Three hundred warriors an' even villagers volunteered ta follow me across tha Archipelago, freeing Dragons left an' right from tha Hunters, treatin' them as if they were… friends. It's thanks ta Hiccup's skills we were able ta achieve this. Tha lad is tha reason why we're here."

Magnus smirked. "And in the end you and the people of Berk were able to make official peace and friendship with the Dragons, thus both Berk and the Dragons are stronger now that they are together... Unbelievable!"

"Three hundred Dragon riders you say?" Stoick said as he arched a brow. "Maybe we do stand a chance against Ivar's beast after all! ...But why would the Dragons be willing to fight him if the Hunters were the ones who imprisoned and enslaved them?"

"Well, remember tha' it was Ivar's general Olaf tha' destroyed their islands when tha Great Army begun their invasion. It wasn't just us an' tha other Tribes tha' suffered, but them as well."

"And the Dragons won't forget what Ivar did to their homes, or even families…" replied Magnus, slightly surprised. "This is why they share a common goal with their riders."

"Well, that may be so. But I have a bigger thought on my mind. The question is, are they prepared enough for what Ivar has at his side?" questioned Stoick. "For all we know, he could have other plans in mind that we don't know of…"

…

* * *

Despite the town being busy, what they felt was a calming moment.

Hiccup sat atop his hut with Astrid next to him, overlooking Dragon's Wake and all of its bright views. For once they had a moment alone while Toothless and Stormfly ran around the hut down below, chasing each other playfully.

The two Vikings sighed, resting the side of their heads against each other with the wind blowing in their faces. For once they could have a moment to themselves.

"We barely get to have moments like this." giggled Astrid, glancing with her eyes back at Hiccup. "This war has kept us so preoccupied from our relationship for such a while that it's almost felt like forever has passed."

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah. Well, we should at least enjoy this moment while it lasts. Serenity is something you don't see a lot of in Scandinavia… but with the dozens of Tribes that sided with Ivar fighting against us, he-"

Astrid immediately held a finger to his lips, shushing him. "Let's not talk about that right now, alright? I understand you want to deal with him, but we all have our limits when it comes to war. Unless our lives are at risk, then yes, maybe we should worry."

"Our lives have been at risk the day we set foot on Norway, Astrid. We have been fighting in hostile territory for two months now, and we may soon be going on three. Everywhere we've gone there has always been danger. We need have our eyes peeled at all times, no matter the situation. Anything could happen at any moment after all."

She sighed, slowly standing to her feet. "Well, there goes our moment for me… but I guess you're right. Though I will say, you are beginning to sound more like your father."

"Well, I guess that's what happens when I see things from his perspective as how he's seen through mine." he nodded as he too stood up to his feet. "I taught my father the true nature of Dragons, and like many others he has taught me how to be a leader."

"And you should be proud of it." Astrid said, smiling as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "I've changed because of you. _All of us_ have changed because of you. Were it not for you, our home would have burnt. Were it not for you, we wouldn't be here."

"Yeah…" smirked Hiccup. "I'm just glad I found out who I really was in the end. It's because of who I am now why I feel-"

" _Hiccup!"_

Stoick's voice shouted loudly, almost with worry or concern as he spotted Hiccup and Astrid on top of the hut. They could both tell by his tone that something was wrong.

Hiccup looked back at Astrid, shrugging. "Ladies first."

Astrid shook her head with a grin, sliding down the roof of the hut on her feet and landing on the ground before too Hiccup followed, sliding down to meet his father.

Whistling for Toothless to come to his side, he hastily approached the Chieftain and noticed that Magnus, Gobber, and Eira were with him. Something was going on...

"Dad, you look concerned and worried. Has something happened? …Are our preparations not going as planned-?"

Stoick shook his head. "Everything is still going accordingly, and swiftly, but something else has happened. They haven't come back yet…"

"Who?" asked Hiccup.

Magnus stepped forward, sighing. "Six of our scouts which were sent out this morning have gone missing. We have reason to believe something has happened to them. We were able to find one of them."

"...But we found them dead with a Dane axe impaled in their head."

"What? ...Oh this is bad." replied Hiccup, shaking his head. "What about our trackers? Did you send them out to find the rest of the scouts?"

"We sent them out a few hours ago." said Eira. "But they returned without a single trace. We even gave them horses and they still couldn't find them."

"Damn!" gasped Hiccup. "This is not good at all. If they don't return soon, then it could only mean that..."

"...Hiccup?" asked Astrid, noticing that his eyes widened as his voice cut off. "What is it? Is there something that you-"

"There's only one possible reason why they could have gone missing. Ivar's forces may have already captured them."

"We have to do something then..." Magnus replied, sounding almost outraged. "Ivar nor his forces have had any knowledge of where we are, but now it seems like they trying to pin out where we are based!"

"It's worse enough as it is." said Hiccup. "It could be that the enemy is beginning scout out more ground to discover our location. But if Ivar interrogates our scouts and figures out where we are…"

"They'll attack us, and we won't be able to fight back." answered Astrid.

For a moment the group went entirely silent, worried and realizing what situation they were in. But then Gobber's voice spoke up.

"No." he said, before turning the other direction. "We won't lose ta him!"

Stoick arched a brow as he watched Gobber begin walking. "Wait- where are you going Gobber?"

"Ta gather tha riders o' Berk!" he answered. "An' if I were ye, I would evacuate Dragon's Wake. It's not safe here!"

Without another word, Gobber continued his way rushing down the road, making his way to the stables to where Grump was.

Hiccup sighed, feeling dread as he looked back at his father and the others who shared a similar feeling.

"What do we do now?" asked Astrid. "We can't just let Ivar siege Dragon's Wake!"

"We won't." he said. "Instead I am going to take Gobber's suggestion of evacuating the town, and that's what we're going to do. We're leaving Dragon's Wake for good, and we're leaving tomorrow morning."

"Is that even enough time?" asked Magnus. "We still need to make sure we're prepared to-"

Hiccup shook his head, grunting. "There is no time Magnus! Ivar may just soon be upon us and back in Norway if we don't do something! We should be ready to face the worst!"

"Alright, Son." replied Stoick, keeping a calm tone. "Alright… We'll do it your way."

He then turned to the others, nodding. "Inform the Chieftains and the other Tribes about this. Astrid, I suggest you and Hiccup tell the Riders about this. They must pack up and prepare for departure. We are no longer safe here."

As Stoick soon rushed off with Magnus and Eira to tell the Chieftains, Hiccup looked down at Toothless who was noticeably emitting a light growl.

He placed a hand on the Night Fury's head, letting out a sigh. "I know, Bud. I am worried too..."


	72. The Exodus

**Alright, so this chapter actually came out longer than I expected it to be. But before beginning I would like to point some things out.**

 **Later in this chapter there will be a cliffhanger moment that will take place, but the chapter will NOT end with it.**

 **Instead, there will be a moment that will probably leave you guys shocked in a good way as it will furthermore assure the future for _two_ of our characters. But you will have to read and see!**

 **Anyways, that's enough from me. I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **(Also as of 1/8/19, edits have** **been made to this chapter to fix grammatical errors. I didn't seem to notice them!)**

* * *

"Hurry up lads! This town must be evacuated with all haste! MOVE! MOVE!" shouted Stoick.

The early morning came swiftly with a cold and uneasy feeling, with the sun barely shining through the clouds. Although many were exhausted due to the lack of sleep, many were also desperate and feeling dreadful, knowing what was soon to go down.

Even the Dragon Riders who were gathered in the large center of Dragon's Wake near the Forge felt a lack of ease, despite them knowing they could no longer stay.

Snotlout sighed as he prepared Hookfang's saddle for flight, all whilst gazing around at what they were about to abandon.

"I… I never knew thought we would actually go this far." he said, glancing towards his hut that stood near the Mead Hall. "We spent so much time building Dragon's Wake ever since we first came here. From an outpost, to a village, and to a town. And now we're…"

"I wish there was another way, Snotlout." Hiccup replied as he tightened Toothless' saddle. "But Ivar's Vikings are closing in on us, thus it's clear that we can't stay here. As large as how Dragon's Wake has grown, we can't defend it against the whole Great Heathen Army. We have to leave."

Astrid nodded in agreement, still gearing herself up. "He's right. If we stay here, this place will become our grave rather than our way out. I know you don't want to abandon what you helped built Snotlout… but nothing lasts forever."

"Pfft, kind of like Ruffnut." chuckled Tuffnut. "You should see how dirty her hair is! She only washes it once a month, and whenever she does wash she-"

His voice immediately cut off as Ruffnut brought her fist back and gave a him a rough punch to his stomach, knocking the breath out of his lungs.

"You know I wash my hair AND body at least once or twice a week unlike you, bird breath!" she grunted, glaring at him.

Tuffnut groaned as he held his hands on his stomach. "Whatever you say, sis…"

"Guys, cut it out will you?" spoke up Fishlegs. "This isn't a time for joking around. We have to get out of here as soon as possible… Heather, do you everything you need?"

"Just about." she nodded. "I have all of my belongings with me, including my double-bladed axe which I haven't used in a while. But regardless, I'm ready."

"Same here." said Astrid.

"Me too." nodded Snotlout. "Though I wish I could bring more with me."

"Very well." said Hiccup. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you outside the gates."

The Riders nodded as they quickly mounted onto their Dragons, before swiftly taking off and flying towards the main gates of the town - leaving only Hiccup and Toothless alone with each other.

The Night Fury looked up at Hiccup, crooning curiously.

"There's something I need to do first, Bud." he said as he noticed Magnus and Eira who stood near the stairs of the Mead Hall across from him. "It won't be long, alright?"

Toothless lightly huffed out air from his nostrils, implying a nod as he and Hiccup made their way towards the two older Vikings who were having a discussion. Upon nearing them, they were quick to notice both Hiccup and Toothless.

Magnus turned his eyes to the young lad, lightly bowing his head. "Hiccup."

"Magnus." he responded back. "How's the progress going? Have we gathered everything we need for the exodus?"

"We're almost done." answered Magnus. "We just need to make adjustments to our siege equipment before we can roll them out. Our men have also finally been given gambesons, fur and chainmail armor to help them with protection. It won't be easy once we go up into highlands, so it's best we bring warm gear."

"Hm, it's a good thing Astrid and the Riders planned ahead of time for that then." Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "They wish we could stay here, but we have no choice. I on the other hand wish there was something we could do."

"They'll be fine, Hiccup." Eira said in an assuring tone. "As much as how much this place has become a home for all of the Tribes, it's worth noting that Dragon's Wake is not their true home. The Archipelago is. And that's where they will be going after this war ends."

"That is true..." nodded Hiccup. "But where will you guys go after the war? Will you perhaps rebuild Kattegat?"

Magnus shook his head. "I don't want to remember that place with all of the horrors that happened there, especially under Ivar's rule. Some things are meant to be left forgotten, and that's what I plan to do with Kattegat… but if the people would be willing to follow me as their new Chieftain then I would gladly accept."

"I think you should take them." said Eira in agreement. "We know that they do not like Ivar for what he's doing to them. If we bring them into the Warsung Tribe before they starve then a peaceful future can be secured. We won't have to keep fighting constantly."

Hiccup lightly grinned. "Aye. It's better to live a peaceful life rather than live a life of Vikings and raiding. I plan to live a life like that once I'm done with this war… I can just imagine what to do with Berk once I return."

Magnus shrugged. "We'll see. For now, I think we should continue focusing on the task at hand. Our engineers could be-"

Magnus stopped short of his words as he looked passed Hiccup and Toothless and noticed a Warsung engineer approach him with attention, addressing "Chieftain" to him.

"Warrior." he nodded. "Are our siege weapons prepared yet?"

"Yes sir." the engineer replied. "Sigurd, Hvitserk and Ubba are preparing to move them out. We have seven catapults, ten ballistas, and two... _trebuchets_ as you call them at the ready."

"Good. Now if you can, see to it that the rest of the Warsung along with the Grey Raven and Battleborn are assembled outside the gates. We'll leave on Hiccup Haddock's command."

"As you wish." saluted the engineer as he swiftly made his way off towards the main gates, but at the same time Hiccup was left confused.

"A trebuchet?" he asked. "What kind of siege weapon is that supposed to be?"

"It's a destructive long-ranged catapult." replied Magnus. "The Eastern Romans built it hundreds of years ago and used it as an effective siege weapon during battles, both on the offense and defense. The trebuchet I planned out however has improved modifications. It has longer range, better accuracy, and can even launch larger projectiles. With them, we'll have a better advantage."

"Ivar's Devastators may just prove to be useless against them if that's the case." smirked Hiccup. "Well done, Magnus… Now, if you'll excuse me - I need to rally with the Riders. Toothless?"

The Night Fury replied with a light warble, leaning down for Hiccup to mount on top of his saddle. The young Viking then positioned his feet on both pedals, pressing down and letting Toothless' fin open.

He looked back at Magnus and Eira, giving the two a nod before he swiftly flew off to the main gates.

After watching him fly off out of sight, Magnus glanced back at Eira as they were left alone. "Are you ready to fly?" he asked her.

Before Eira could respond, she suddenly felt the urge to clear her throat as she quickly covered her mouth to cough. But unexpectedly she placed a hand over her stomach and started to let out a hacking cough as if she had too much of something. Magnus swiftly reacted, laying a hand on her shoulder and holding onto her stomach as she leaned down. After less than ten seconds went by, it passed.

He looked at her, asking in a worried tone; "Eira, are you alright?"

She nodded. "It- it's nothing. I'm fine."

Magnus sighed, shaking his head. "You're making me worry. That's the fifth time you coughed like that this week. Are you sure you're not sick or-?"

"I'm fine, Magnus." she again replied. "Please, let's just get going already."

"...Alright." he said, gazing up to the sky before he gave out a sharp and loud whistle. He then called out his Dragon's name.

"Thorwind!"

...

* * *

 _ **Five hours later…**_

It didn't take long for them to go from running to jogging, and then to a slow march.

By then the Tribes were miles and miles away from Dragon's Wake, marching South across the highlands. It was obvious that the air had now gotten colder as snow began to fall lightly with the breezing wind blowing in their faces.

Hiccup and the Riders wrapped their cloaks around as they flew through the air above their allies. They could see them march in a long line down below, freezing and exhausted while they were pulling their siege equipment.

"S- Scandinavia." stuttered Fishlegs, grasping tighter onto Meatlug's saddle. "N- never knew it was like this!"

"Yeah- well that's what you expect when you go higher up in altitude." shivered Hiccup. "If anything, it feels like we're going over a mountain!"

Magnus let out a shaky chuckle, looking back at Hiccup. "It could've been worse you know! Remember that one winter we had years ago that nearly froze our huts to ice?"

"Yeah." replied Hiccup. "I nearly had frostbite that winter… but this is just madness! It's as if Ymir or Skadi are weaving a storm onto us!"

Astrid sighed, tightly crossing her arms. "Except there is no storm… M- Magnus, how long will it take for us to reach this place you mentioned?"

"We should be there soon!" he replied, squinting his eyes through the wind that blew in his face. "By now we're at least eleven or so miles away from Kattegat! If we continue flying this way, we should-"

"Wait, look!" called out Heather.

And there it was from afar. The Riders slowed their Dragons to a halt, gazing their eyes upon the tall and wide plateau which stood looking over them from a mile away. If anything, it was like a small mountain with a flat top, and it was enough for them to base their allies and forces on top of it. However, the path leading up seemed narrow from their perspective.

"There it is!" Astrid said with relief. "We made it, and quicker than I imagined!"

"I'll say... but shouldn't some of us fly ahead to see if the area is safe?" asked Snotlout. "I'm just saying that we should make sure we're in the clearing so that no one will know where we are!"

"Good idea, Snotlout!" nodded Hiccup, turning his eyes towards the other Riders.

"Alright everyone, here's the plan! Astrid, Magnus and Eira, you guys will come with me so we can scout out the top of the mountain! The rest of you will stay here with our forces and ensure that they reach the mountain safely!"

"Aww man!" whined Ruffnut. "C'mon, can't you just let us..."

Hiccup shook his head, staring back at the mountain. "That's an order, Ruffnut! Now let's move out!"

With haste the four Vikings and their Dragons swiftly flew off, bolting their way towards the top of the plateau mountain as fast as the wind could allow them. As they flew closer and closer, the scale of the mountain began to really show, and though it wasn't as tall as they expected, it was still quite large. Soon enough, they would reach the top.

As Toothless made a swift landing, Hiccup took a moment to glance at the area that he, Astrid, and Magnus and Eira now stood on, and it was not what they expected.

They stood in a field. A field with meadows of grass sticking up along with evergreen trees scattered around. If anything, it was the perfect place to settle.

"This place is perfect…" smiled Magnus as he dismounted off Thorwind. "Just look at this! This mountain has to be at least as tall as Strongholm's Fortress - if not taller, and this field looks to be large enough to hold thousands of people. It looks…"

"Beautiful." answered Hiccup as he stared around. "It reminds me of Berk too much… but we'd better not remain idle for too long. What do you guys think? How should we-?"

It was then that the sound of a loud hack suddenly caught his attention as he turned to face the others, and saw that Eira began coughing as she tried dismounting off of Thorwind. But as she tried to dismount, she felt herself go a little off-balanced, causing her to nearly fall off Thorwind head first. Thankfully for her, Magnus rushed over and caught her before she could do so, holding a hand over her stomach and an arm over her shoulders.

"I've got you." he said with a sigh, moving his arms to place them around her as he laid her head against his chest. Once again though, less than ten seconds passed by and the coughing stopped.

Astrid rose both of her brows as she dismounted off of Stormfly, approaching Magnus who held Eira in his arms as she was trying to catch her breath. "Is she alright?"

Magnus nodded, staring back at Hiccup and Astrid with a troubled expression. "She's fine, but she's been doing this for nearly the entire week. It's beginning to worry me…"

"Maybe she's sick?" asked Hiccup. "Did you check her temperature?"

The older Viking placed the back of his hand against Eira's forehead, but shook his head. "I can't tell if there's a flu or fever." he sighed. "Eira, what is happening to you?"

She shrugged, placing her right hand over her stomach. "I don't know…" she said as her breath began to relax. "But I'm fine. I'm sure of it… I just need a moment to..."

"Easy, Eira. You need to rest and eat something. Five hours on an empty stomach is not a good thing." replied Astrid. "...So Hiccup, do you think we should-?"

As she turned around to face him, both he and Toothless were already making their way towards the cliffs that overlooked the rest of the highlands down below, and as he stood near the edge and looked down - he could see everything.

He smiled, patting Toothless' head while gazing down below. "It's a long way down." he said. "But we'll be able to see the enemy from here if they ever come close… Let's just hope there's enough time."

As his eyes continued surveying the fields down below, he suddenly caught glance of the path of the mountain leading up to where they stood, starting at the bottom which then spiraled around the mountain itself. It was not steep, but it would do.

He nodded to himself, noting it's location before turning back to face the others who looked like they were just about ready to settle.

"Right then." he said. "Shall we settle?"

…

* * *

Miles and miles away from Kattegat on a large distant shore, they had all rallied up. Bonfires were lit, and Devastators and catapults were set in place, and as the grey clouds above them flew over their ranks, the Great Viking Army formed its positions and lined up whilst commanders and captains bellowed out commands to the ranks.

"MARCH INTO POSITION, AT THE DOUBLE!" one would shout, giving orders.

"GET YOUR BACK INTO IT, MAGGOTS! FASTER, FASTER!" another would bellow out.

Regardless of the orders that were continuously carried out however, what was clear was that the entirety of the Great Army was there, all by the thousands… at least - what was left of it.

Some time went by without much happening, but that soon would change as something noticeable came into view; the silhouette of a large longship sailing through the fog. Almost immediately all eyes fell upon it, including the Völsung's.

But then they saw him...

Upon laying their eyes on the single longship that ported onto shore, they caught gaze of a lone and young familiar figure, and everyone instantly felt the urge to kneel before him as he climbed down from the vessel - carrying a bullhook with him as both as a weapon and a walking stick to help with the support plates around his legs. At long last, he had now returned.

Ivar the Boneless had finally returned...

As the son of Lothbrök dismounted off of his ship, he turned his glance onto the ranks of the Vikings as he then slowly rolled his eyes towards the Barbarians and Slavs that still remained. He arched a brow however as soon as he noticed the three generals from the Völsung, Saxons, and Jomsvikings approach him, rather than the four Chieftains he wanted.

As Ivar stepped forward, the generals kneeled in respect to the great Viking King with their furred cloaks and hair blowing in the cold wind, but Ivar's grim face did not show satisfaction as he gestured to them to rise.

"My lord Ivar." said the Völsung general. "We've been waiting for you for a while now. More than a month has gone by ever since you-"

"Save your words for later, general." Ivar replied with a dark and cold tone. "If anything, you should not address me as your King as I have done the near impossible thanks to our ally Drago. He's made me into... something more. With this bullhook that I forged from the fires of Dragons, I am now able to control them just like him. And now I know truly that I'm not just a regular man… but a deity like Odin and Thor…"

"I am the God Ivar. Thus you will address me as your God-King."

After boasting his new found claim however, Ivar's tone changed as he soon noticed the lack of warriors on the shore.

"On the other hand however, there is only one thing that concerns me. Where is Vlar and the other Chieftains, and where is the rest of MY Great Army? Were my orders not clear for them to rally up as soon as I returned? How many times must I..."

"My Ki- ...my God-King." the Jomsviking general said, catching the angry Viking's glaring glance. "We- we wanted to tell you but we couldn't as we were unable to. While you were away, it happened to them. All of them…"

"Vlar, Frode, Hjalmar, and Karvein are all dead, my God-King… all of the Chieftains are dead. They were killed off along with their Clans."

For a moment Ivar felt his blood begin to boil. He stood completely still as he gave off not an expression of fear or worry, but a feeling of anger and hatred. If what he heard was correct, then not only were the Chieftains killed off, but so were their Clans and allied Tribes.

Ivar let out a bellowing roar as he raised his fist and punched the Jomsviking general in the face, causing him to take a few steps back as he covered his bleeding nose in pain from the punch.

He then made four slow and intimidating paces forward to the generals' faces. "Are you telling me… that more than half of my Great Army has been wiped out!?" he yelled with anger. "You fools! If one of you had sent a message to me the moment our numbers began dropping I would have returned in a matter of days, and yet none of you had the audacity to do so?! Those four Chieftains were all useless puppets... Who among our enemies could have-"

"H- Hiccup Haddock, my God-King." the Barbaric Saxon general answered, stuttering. "It was Hiccup Haddock who killed them…"

The familiar name slithered across Ivar's tongue as he heard the Saxon general say his name. "Hiccup Haddock."

Ivar let out a breathy exhale, but arched a brow in amusement. "Hiccup Haddock? That scrawny slave is still alive after this long? My my, I will enjoy breaking him when I meet him again on the battlefield! And this time, I will fight him personally."

"That's not the only thing he has done, my God-King." the Völsung general said, looking back at the other generals. "Haddock has managed to gather an army larger than what he had when he first got here. Our scouts tell us that he has allied with two Clans here in Norway, and both of the Jarls are eager to hunt you down. We don't know who they are but-"

"They will fall." Ivar chuckled. "Regardless, I must know if you have any knowledge regarding Hiccup's location."

"We don't, my God-King." the Jomsviking general replied while wiping the blood off his nose. "But our Danish scouts captured five of our enemy's scouts to get some information out of them. We were so far unsuccessful."

"Bring them forth then. I will speak to them personally."

The three generals nodded as they looked back towards their bodyguards and motioned them to step forward. The warriors gladly obliged and made their way towards them, dragging the five scouts along with them as they dropped them down to their knees before Ivar.

"Well well well," began Ivar, crouching down to their level. "Five scouts from two Tribes caught like prey. Three from the ridiculously named _Hairy Hooligan_ Tribe, and two from this… Warsung Tribe that I've kept hearing of. What are you supposed to be, a copyist to my Völsung Clan? You clearly have my banner and symbol but in different colors. Why do you even bother trying to fight?"

The Warsung scouts said nothing. They only glared up at Ivar, still feeling a sense of resistance against him while refusing to break.

"Quite a silent tough group, aren't you?" he asked, running his other hand against the sharp edge of his bullhook. "Might I remind you that you are standing before a God? You have no power against me, and you certainly cannot beat me…"

"You will never find Hiccup, no matter how hard you try!" spat one of the Berkian scouts. "And you… you are not a God! Odin would never accept someone like you amongst the Gods. The only thing you are is a-"

His words were suddenly silenced however as Ivar swung his bullhook across the scout's face, slicing his cheeks with deep scratches which made the man to fall on his side as he covered his face in pain from the bloody cuts.

The other scouts began to breathe intensely, fearing what would happen to them as Ivar made a motion with his hand for the bodyguards towards the scouts. "Take them away and execute them. They will be a fine tribute to the Gods for welcoming me into the Aesir."

The bodyguards immediately snatched the scouts up, carrying them away with the screaming of "No, please don't!" and "You are not a God!" coming from them until they were eventually out of sight.

The three generals, unsure of how to react, stood at attention to Ivar as even the majority of the Great Army's ranks were staring at him attentively - awaiting his orders.

"My God-King?" the Saxon general asked. "What are your orders?"

At first, Ivar didn't respond as he merely limped with the help of his bullhook passed the three generals, making his way into view in front of the whole Great Viking Army whose eyes were all now upon him.

Then in an unexpectedly move, he stabbed the base of his bullhook into the ground - and for a moment he stood there; gazing back at his ranks until he slowly felt the urge to lift one leg up, and then lift another leg up as he took another surprising few steps forward without the help of his bullhook.

Ivar was finally walking with his own two legs…

His brows lowered with a smirk as he started pacing slowly back and forth. "BEGIN ALL PREPARATIONS, MY GREAT ARMY!" he shouted, with his voice booming and echoing across the shore. "We must track down Hiccup Haddock and his army, and END his pathetic resistance once and for all! We will show them that Ivar the Boneless is a God to be feared!"

"We will destroy his army of infidels and cowards, and SOON THE REST OF THE ARCHIPELAGO WILL FOLLOW! WAR AWAITS US, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!"

Cheers erupted from every single rank in the Great Army as they rose their weapons to the sky, roaring out bloodlusting war cries. They even willingly began to address him as their God as they started chanting and hailing his name in unison.

"HAIL THE GOD IVAR! HAIL THE GOD IVAR!"

With his plan now starting to go in motion, Ivar turned back to his bullhook - lifting it out of the dirt as he faced out towards the foggy ocean.

"My God-King?" asked the Jomsviking general. "How- how are we supposed to track down Hiccup Haddock? You killed our only source of finding him. It could take forever to discover where he is!"

"...Not without the aid of Dragons. They know the scent of the Archipelago... including its Tribes." Ivar replied, grinning evilly. "For over a month Drago Bludvist and I have fought and tortured a red beast of death with strength and power beyond measure. It has the ability to control other Dragons, but now I have broken it to my will. And as Drago would say:"

" _He who controls the Alpha, controls them all…"_

The grip on Ivar's bullhook tightened immensely as he swiftly raised it up into the air and began spinning it in circles, picking up speed and swinging faster and faster. Then he started screaming…

"AHHHH! AAAHHHHH!"

He then cut off his screaming and lowered his bullhook, and the ground suddenly began to shake as the sound of giant wings thundered across the shore, along with another hundred pair of wings. Then a loud gigantic roar followed, blowing a mighty gust of wind towards Ivar and his forces who reacted with mixed expressions.

Ivar grinned. "This... is why I am a God…"

And then through the fog of the ocean they saw it…

The dense clouds of mist lit up with flames, and for a brief moment they saw the silhouettes of over a hundred Dragons flying in place, lined up and ready to follow Ivar. However, that was not all.

Among them was a single great, large, and intimidating Dragon that made the other Dragons look like mice. It flew in place - looming behind them, beating it's massive wings and lighting its bright, incinerating flames.

It was a Dragon of death…

…

* * *

Although the morning had gone by and the noon finally came, many of the warriors by then were exhausted as a result of the long tiring march, thus many of them retired to their tents for the day.

However, the same could not be said for some.

Magnus sighed as he stared down at Eira who laid on top of a bedroll, silently sleeping with the occasional coughing. After what happened since they arrived at the mountain, he refused to leave Eira's side until he knew what was wrong with her. He worried for her despite herself claiming that she was not sick, and yet he was unsure of that claim.

Because of this, Fishlegs decided to study her condition to figure out why she was first coughing, and now fatigued.

Magnus looked back at Hiccup and Astrid who stood there with him under the large tent they were in, giving off a frown.

"I must know soon why this is happening to her." he said, sighing. "She did not seem to show any signs of sickness, and yet she has been coughing heavily nearly the whole week. But seeing her fatigued like this is…"

"Magnus." spoke Hiccup, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Eira is probably exhausted from the long flight we had today, not to mention how cold it was up in the air."

Astrid nodded in agreement. "He's right." she said. "Don't worry, Magnus. Fishlegs will know what to do once he returns with the results, and we'll be able to make an antidote to ease these effects."

"What if there isn't an antidote?" he asked. "...What if she really is getting sick? Do you not know how I feel about this, Astrid? Eira is the love of my life, and I promised that if something were to happen to her that I would be there for her. I must-"

Before he could finish, the sound of a pair of footsteps and the flapping of the tent opening suddenly caught their eyes as Fishlegs came rushing in with Meatlug behind him. However, his face showed a more positive reaction than they were expecting.

"Fishlegs, did you get the results? Is there something wrong with Eira?" Hiccup asked curiously.

The lad shook his head, almost smiling. "No Hiccup! It's something more! She's not sick at all!"

"What?" said Magnus as he stood to his feet. "What in the name of Thor do you mean by that Fishlegs? Do you not see Eira's condition!? She's-"

"Just hear me out!" Fishlegs replied excitedly as he began flipping through the notes in one of his books. "I did some research through some old notes that I wrote back during the time Gothi was teaching me about how our bodies work. After hours of research however, I was able to match Eira's symptoms with only one result. But before I can confirm this, may I ask you something Magnus? Something important…"

Though Magnus felt a little embarrassed from the way Fishlegs asked him, he gave a nod of approval to him as he proceeded to ask his question.

"Have you recently made love to Eira?"

"I- ...I did." sighed Magnus.

There was a moment of silence. Hiccup and Astrid looked back at Magnus with surprised looks, knowing that what he and Eira did that night did indeed happen, but to Magnus he felt like the situation was awkward.

"Is that what you wanted to hear, Fishlegs? Yes, I did." he answered again. "I made love to her a week ago the night before we went out to fight Vlar, but I don't get what exactly you're trying to get here. What are you saying?"

Fishlegs' eyes widened. His jaw nearly dropped as a smile appeared on his face from cheek to cheek.

"Magnus, Eira is pregnant!"

* * *

 **I would like to point out just a couple of things before ending this chapter off.**

 **Yes, Ivar has gone crazy to the point where he proclaims himself as a God. Unlike Drago who says he is the Dragon God however, Ivar believes he is among the Aesir. If any of you get the reference of where this is from, then I hope you see where exactly this is going...**

 **Secondly, yes, Eira is pregnant! Not only does this assure her future as a mother, but it also assures Magnus' future as... you know. Although their child won't be born in this story, they most likely will have it in a sequel - if I ever get to it.**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading!**


	73. No Retreat

**Sorry it took so long guys. I have been studying for exams this week and as well been busy with other things, but I thankfully managed to find the time to type this chapter out, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Without further ado, let's get right into it!**

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid sat with Magnus and Eira in their tent that night after the news was given to them by Fishlegs, and when she woke up the three of them slowly began to let her in on the discovery.

If anything, Eira was beyond being surprised or shocked.

"I- I can't believe it." she said as she took a sip of water from the small bowl in her hands. "I'm actually pregnant with a soon-to-be child inside of me. I never saw this coming, and yet I feel…"

She looked up at Magnus, smiling. "Happy. I am so happy."

Magnus smiled back at Eira, placing his right hand over her stomach as he gently placed his forehead against hers.

"It's hard to believe we've come this far." said Magnus with a cheery tone. "Two months ago we were just friends, and now look at us - look at where we are. We're a family now… well, almost."

His eyes narrowed down as his smiled extended even more across his face, still keeping his forehead against Eira's. "But still." he said, looking back at her. "You make me the happiest man in the world."

For a moment Eira felt her heart melt from those words, and after not even a few seconds Magnus leaned in and gently met his lips with hers, causing her to blush before they separated as the two held each other in their arms.

Hiccup and Astrid's faces beamed as they watched it unfold, looking back at each other with both of their hands lightly holding.

"It's amazing how families can be made with just even the slightest faith and love." said Astrid, eyeing the embracing couple. "First Magnus and Eira get into a relationship like us, and now Fishlegs confirms that Eira is pregnant."

"It will take months until their child is born, or even formed, but right now their bond is stronger than ever." replied Hiccup, with his mind shifting towards the thought of Astrid and his Dragon. "...Reminds me of you and Toothless. Though I do wonder, how was Fishlegs able to know that Eira was pregnant after just one week?"

"Small changes happen during that time which a healer or someone experienced like Fishlegs can recognize." answered Magnus, looking back at Hiccup. "I guess it shouldn't have been that surprising. But then again, my worry for Eira was why I didn't wonder about it."

Hiccup shrugged, but then grinned. "Well, it's good to know that you two are on your way to becoming parents… well, at least until you-"

"We'll get that handled." nodded Magnus. "But for right now, it's best we just wait to see what happens. I also suggest that we all get some sleep. Midnight is going to be here in a few hours so we'd better get some good rest."

Hiccup and Astrid nodded in agreement as they calmly made their way out of the tent, wishing Magnus and Eira "Good night" once they were out in the darkness of night.

The two young Vikings then began making their way back to their tent where Toothless and Stormfly were without a doubt sleeping, and as they walked, Hiccup and Astrid could not bother but to glance back at each other, occasionally giving each other smiles.

"You know," began Astrid. "This reminds me of that one rainy day back on Berk, when it was just us two with our Dragons. Except this time…"

"It's softly snowing of course." Hiccup chuckled, glancing up. "I'll be honest, I always viewed Scandinavia as nothing but a frozen wasteland. After seeing this place however, I guess this isn't bad at all."

Astrid nodded in agreement. "Though I do wonder, why hasn't Ivar bothered making a settlement here? He could have made this place into an impenetrable Fortress."

"Ivar cares only about what pleases him and as well as what he wants, not what the people or even his men want. He may be ruthless and intelligent, but does not give a yak about the new ways."

"New ways?" asked Astrid.

Hiccup sighed, rolling his lips. "It's a long story." he said. "Magnus told me that Ivar's father, Ragnar Lothbrök, at one point wanted to find a place to settle for a more peaceful life. A life of farming, hunting, and overall a good life with his family. Eventually his dream would shatter however as he continued on with raiding, but it was clear that his dream stood strong in his heart."

"...But Ivar is different." he continued. "I see now that he tore his family apart, spat on the thought of his father's dream, and loves nothing more than to rage war. It is for this reason his brothers Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd want him dealt with as much as I do."

"And the thought of Ivar is not bothering you?" asked Astrid. "You don't seem to be angry when bringing him up."

"There is no point at being infuriated at Ivar anymore." sighed Hiccup. "He's already fighting a losing battle, and I have no doubt that he will lose in less than a week. With hundreds of Dragons now at our side, there is little he can do."

"Then maybe we should consider how we should handle him the next time we see him." yawned Astrid. "For now, let's get some sleep. We're getting close to our tent…"

...

* * *

Most slept easy that night, but when the white cloudy and cool morning soon came almost everyone around the war camp was wide and awake - and as well as impatient for the fight that was soon to come. That included Hiccup, Astrid, and the Riders.

The six young Vikings stood near the cliffs with their Dragons, looking over the edge of the mountain towards the fields of the highlands down below. In their minds they could imagine what it would be like once the battle began.

Snotlout lightly sighed. "It'll be a long and hard fight once Ivar discovers us, but at least we'll be able to give that cripple what he deserves after what he's done. Right Hookfang?"

Hookfang only responded by rolling his eyes with a huff of steam from his nostrils, clearly showing that he did not care much about Snotlout's boast.

"Don't underestimate him." said Hiccup, still gazing out with his arms crossed. "Ivar may be a cripple, but he is a great warrior. Possibly greater than all of us. He is a Viking killing machine, especially on his war chariot. If we go into melee combat with him, he would most likely just run us over or axe us down."

"...But with a Dragon, we could take him down when he is vulnerable."

"Hey, maybe Magnus could even stab him with another lightning bolt." snickered Tuffnut. "I mean- ya saw what he did to Vlar, right? He-"

"We get it, Tuff." interrupted Astrid, almost rolling her eyes. "But like Hiccup said, reaching him won't be easy; especially since he's almost always guarded by over a hundred warriors and a dozen or so Devastators."

"Aye." nodded Hiccup. "Until Gobber arrives, we can't get too close to him, otherwise he will just wipe us off from the face of the earth like that… so he'll have to come to us."

Hiccup's eyes slowly shifted away as he glanced back at the siege weapons that were lined up along the cliffs, including the two large trebuchet that towered over the others.

"Let's hope those weapons are as good as Magnus said they are. If they fall, we won't be able to-"

"Hiccup."

The sound of Stoick's voice caught Hiccup's attention as he spun around to face the large Chieftain who approached him with haste.

"Dad?" he asked. "You sound like you're in a rush. Do you have a message for me or something?"

"I do." he nodded, gesturing towards the piece of parchment in his hands. "One of Gobber's riders flew by an hour ago with this letter in hand. It's from Gobber himself. I guess he managed to find out where we are."

"Well, what does it say?" asked Astrid.

Stoick sighed as he glanced back at it. "Took some time for me to figure out due to Gobber's terrible handwriting… but Magnus was able to help. Long-story short; Gobber says that he and his riders are on route to our location. They'll be here in the late noon or so, hopefully before any fighting begins. Until then however, we'll have to wait patiently."

"... _Hopefully_ before any fighting begins?" asked Fishlegs. "What does that mean, Chief? It's not like Ivar has already returned, and yet you sound worried."

"I am… a little bit." said Stoick, turning his head as he gazed down towards the plains of the highlands. "It's been getting colder recently, especially today. I feel as if something dark is approaching us from the North. Like a storm. But when it arrives, we must all be ready for it no matter what…"

Without anything else to say, Stoick nodded as he turned his back, making his way back towards the camp. "If you lads and lasses need anything, you know where to find me."

The Riders gave no response as he walked off, only confused faces at what he said. Was he referring to the darkness as Ivar?

"Something dark?" asked Hiccup. "Can't be Ivar, can it? As dangerous as he is he does not seem that big of a threat anymore ever since the start of all this."

"But the battle will still be bigger than any other before." said Astrid. "They have a bigger army. But we too have a big army now, Hiccup. Maybe your father is referring to the next battle to come? It will be a mess after all."

Hiccup gave a shrug. "We'll just have to wait and see. For now, let's get back to shelter. It's getting cold…"

…

* * *

The sound of drums banged louder than the wind blowing in their faces. Each stomping step they took bellowed across the highlands like thunder, marching in unison with catapults and Devastators at their sides.

The Great Army marched through the fields of the highlands like an unstoppable wave of iron and steel, not stopping for anything whether it was food or rest. The Vikings, Barbarians, and Slavic warriors were impatient, yearning for the call of battle.

Ahead of them at the very front of the ranks, Ivar rode atop his horse-pulled war chariot, occasionally spinning his bullhook in circles as the one hundred Dragons above him flew with ease. Their scent was the reason the Great Army was heading into the direction that they were marching into.

Ivar knew that they were getting closer and closer.

Behind him as well, the Völsung, Saxons, and Jomsvikings along with their generals marched along with the front ranks of the army, stomping their boots as loud as they could to match their rhythm to the sound of the drums.

But that was not the true glory of his army.

Above him, from behind the grey clouds, the sound of two great wings from Ivar's beast slowly flapped as it followed wherever the Viking treaded. To make it better for him, Ivar would also slam his bullhook loud against his chariot - making a piercing sound that reminded the beast he controlled who was in command.

However, it was then that Ivar suddenly rose his hand, ordering the army to stop completely, and with a giant footstep in unison they came to a total halt, including the Dragons.

Ivar peered ahead of him, spotting the small but noticeable mountain plateau a couple of miles in the distance, and immediately he felt a familiar scent hit his nose as it travelled in the wind.

"...Hiccup." he said, tightening the grip on his bullhook as a twisted smile formed on the front of his face. "Oh you are much closer in my grasp than you think I am."

"My God-King?"

The voice of the Saxon general caught Ivar's attention, making him turn his head around to face him. "What is it?"

"...My God-King." the Saxon general repeated. "I do not mean to be rude, but how do you know we are going in the right direction? For all we know, Hiccup Haddock could be anywhere in this Hel of a highland."

Ivar smirked, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Patience." he said. "Blood will be spilled soon enough, for every foe that is slain today on the battlefield will be a sacrifice to me! But for you three generals; you will bring me the heads of Hiccup's most loyal allies; particularly Magnus, Eira, and this _Astrid_ that the men have been mentioning, for you will earn my favor!"

"I will fight with you until they are all dead, my God-King!" chuckled the Saxon general. "The Saxons are with you and your Vikings as we have been for hundreds of years!"

"We too will help bring you their heads!" the Jomsviking general saluted. "Your elite guard will stand by your side in this battle!"

"So will your Clan, my God-King." said the Völsung general. "I will succeed where Olaf failed! Your enemies will fall!"

Satisfied with the confidence, Ivar then turned his head back towards the mountain in the far distance, raising his bullhook for all to see, including his Dragons.

"Berkians... Warsung… ALL OF THEM! The battlefield will lie LITTERED with their bodies, and it will be their grave! TO WAR!"

The moment Ivar ordered his horse forward, the thousands of warriors and maidens behind him quickly began marching as the drums once more started banging, and as he swung his bullhook around in circles and slammed it against his chariot with a loud scream, a sudden giant roar from Ivar's beast behind thundered onto his Dragons, ordering them to fly forward and follow.

The Dragons, without any choice, followed Ivar as the pupils in their eyes went thin. Though the march continued, Ivar knew they would reach their destination before Hiccup or any of the others would realize they were already close...

…

* * *

"We can't take this anymore!" Snorre let out as he slammed his hand against the war table. "Where is that coward Ivar!? We want to fight him already!"

Stoick and the other Chieftains, as well as Hiccup and Magnus, were all gathered in the center of their camp. They all stood around the war table underneath a large tent, and for hours they had been arguing about further action.

Although most thought it best to wait, others were getting impatient.

Stoick shook his head. "You are acting too hasty, Snorre!" he grunted. "Do you not understand that if you go out there in an attempt to hunt Ivar, you and your whole Thunderhead Tribe will be slaughtered? Ivar will destroy you just like _that!"_

"Not if we work together in finding him and hunting him!" replied Arngrim. "That Boy-King has done enough to us already! It's time we get payback and do the same thing to him that he did to us back at Skyrsdok! We must wipe him out!"

"Your idea is childish and stupid as you are! Both of you!" said Ubba as he paced back and forth, glaring at Snorre and Arngrim. "You two are suggesting for us to charge out into the open field and take on Ivar head-on. That, is suicide. Did you forget what Hvitserk, Sigurd and I told you before about our brother before we marched here? He is not like the other Chieftains that you took on, nor like Vlar."

"He's right." nodded Sigurd. "You must take into consideration that we three are the Sons of Ragnar Lothbrök. Not you. We know Ivar better than anyone else. Even Hiccup and Magnus know nearly as much as we do."

"That is boar crap!" spat Snorre.

"It isn't." said Hiccup. "Magnus and I lived in Scandinavia for years. We know what it's like here. Unless you listen to Ubba and his brothers then all I can say is that you stand no chance fighting Ivar."

"I agree with the Sons of Lothbrök, but I must ask; do you two even have any idea if Ivar is even here by now?" asked Mala, crossing her arms. "He could still be sailing across the Archipelago looking for whatever he is interested in. Maybe even gold and silver. Remember that his general Olaf was the one who sacked much of the Archipelago before he shipped off hundreds of pounds of gold and silver back to Ivar. It could be that he's still looking for any remaining scraps."

"That seems unlikely." said Magnus. "Olaf left nearly nothing left even after we took him out, and although we have yet to retrieve the wealth that he stole we must consider what Ivar is actually doing. His men and allies may still be around, but I doubt he was around when our scouts were captured."

"The real question is. Where is he?"

"He could be anywhere." Hvitserk shrugged, leaning over the table as he stared down at the map of Norway. "He could be here, or back in the Archipelago which to me now seems unlikely."

"Why so, brother?" asked Sigurd. "What do you think Ivar could be possibly doing?"

Hvitserk sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know. But doesn't it seem strange to you that the Great Army is acting _now_ in an attempt to look for us? We were safe in Dragon's Wake, and then a week passes by after Vlar's defeat and almost immediately we find out that our enemy is closing in thanks to some Danish scouts. My concern is; why would they do it now?"

"...E's right. Makes no sense." spoke Alvin. "Why wou'd 'ey begin ta amass now? Those bloody Vikin's are wastin' 'heir time wif-"

Before anyone else could speak however, the loud sound of a distant but muffled _BOOM_ turned the attention of everyone under the tent away from the conversation. At first they did not give much thought to it, but then another explosion followed, more closer.

"What… is that?" spoke Stoick.

It was then that Hiccup spotted Toothless running towards him from the distance, with Astrid and Eira at his side along with their Dragons, Stormfly and Thorwind.

The two shieldmaidens nearly fell off balance as they stopped in front of Hiccup and Magnus, panting.

"Toothless, Astrid?" asked Hiccup. "What's going on? What's happening!?"

Astrid straightened herself out, giving him a look of shock. "Hiccup, they came out of nowhere! Eira and I were just walking around looking for the others when Toothless came rushing towards us. When we found out what was going we came looking for you. They've found us, Hiccup!"

"They? Who is they-"

Hiccup's words instantly cut off however as he immediately spotted multitudes of warriors behind Astrid rushing in groups towards the direction of the cliffs, but before he knew it, a fiery projectile came flying in through the air, landing near the warriors and causing an explosion that set the nearby tents aflame.

The impact was so great, it made the ground shake - causing everyone to nearly fall down to their feet.

Hiccup's brows lowered as he glared out into the direction the blast came from. "He's here."

Without another word, Hiccup unsheathed his fiery blade, storming out underneath the tent as he swiftly began making his way to the cliffs with Toothless following behind him.

"Hiccup, wait!" Stoick shouted as he, Magnus, Eira, Astrid, and the other Chieftains quickly ran out and began following him from behind.

Hiccup did not bother to look back. He continued running through the camp, passing by warriors and maidens who too were running to the front to see what was going on, all whilst artillery fire rained down upon them.

Finally, as Hiccup reached the cliffs he came to a sliding stop before glancing down through the light falling snow towards the great threat that was finally standing before him.

The Great Heathen Army stood in position below the mountain, all by the thousands as they continued firing their catapults and Devastators at the mountain. Yet even as Hiccup saw this, he was not afraid. He placed one foot forward, confident to take on the enemy. This time he would not retreat.

"No retreats." Hiccup said to himself. "This time, we fight!"

As confident as he was, Hiccup was as well able to surprisingly spot a familiar figure that stood out to him. Down below, in the center of the large horde of Vikings, Barbarians, and Slavic warriors stood a young man on top of his war chariot ready to fight his opponent... Ivar the Boneless.

Ivar looked up towards the cliffs, grinning with his brows lowered as he spotted the young Heir of Berk.

"Hiccup."

"Ivar…"

* * *

 **Though I do love myself some Magra, I promise there will be more Hiccstrid, especially after this next battle...**

 **The second to last battle begins next chapter.**

 **Until then however:**

 **To be continued...**


	74. The Great Battle - Act I

**Here we are guys, the moment of truth! The most important battle of the whole story has finally come, and now we will get to see it unfold! But just so you know, this is not the final battle! That will be a few chapters after that!**

 **As with battles like these, they will last for multiple parts, so I hope you are prepared for what will come this chapter and for what will come in the next one.**

 **I also recommend listening to epic cinematic music while reading this to get into the mood. It is going to be a long one.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hiccup."

"Ivar..."

Both Vikings glared at each other with their eyes locked onto one another. After so long, the two finally met face to face once again, except from a great distance, and they were both ready for a fight.

As Hiccup and Toothless continued staring down at Ivar, he could hear from behind the rest of the group rallying to him. Stoick, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, the Twins, the Sons of Ragnar, and the Chieftains; all of them had come to Hiccup's side, and after everything they did it had all led to this moment.

They all glared down at Great Heathen Army down below, unsheathing their weapons in unison by instinct, showing that they too were ready to make a stand as their forces stood behind them, eager to charge in.

Dagur lowered his brows. "Time to show Ivar the real meaning of berserk." he said as he rubbed the blades of both his axes together.

"Looks like he 'asn't got anywhere else ta run! This'll be a good fight!" chuckled Alvin.

"Let's save the enthusiasm until we get into the battle itself!" said Stoick. "Hiccup, what are your orders? We're all at your command."

Hiccup tilted his head towards his father, giving him a nod before spinning to face the others.

"We make our stand here and now!" he announced, waving around his fiery sword. "Dad, Magnus, Ubba and Hvitserk, you will be leading the charge. When the enemy advances, rush down the mountain path and hold them in place! When they weaken, push them out! Eira, Sigurd, you two will go with them."

"Will do. Just as long as Eira stays with me and Thorwind in the air. Sigurd can lead the Warsung from the ground." nodded Magnus.

Hiccup turned his gaze towards the other Chieftains. "Dagur and Alvin, you guys are in charge of the reserves. The moment we fully push into the field, rush down with all of the other Chieftains and meet with our main force. Make sure Ivar's army is splintered!"

"As ye wish!" said Alvin.

Hiccup's eyes then turned to Astrid and the others. "Riders, ready your Dragons! We're going to blast Ivar to pieces! Heather, you're coming with us!"

"Well then, time for some action once again." she replied, cracking her knuckles.

Snotlout grinned, tightening his fist. "Let's light 'em up!"

"Hel yeah!" shouted Ruffnut.

Satisfied, the young Heir of Berk gave a motion with his hand. "You all have your orders! Let's win this battle!"

The whole group rose their weapons up, cheering as the ranks of the united Archipelago Vikings behind them roared with confidence and fury, knowing that now things were about to get real.

Meanwhile down below, Ivar surveyed what was going on up above. So far he saw no other kind of movements happen from his enemy, and yet he was still determined to get them out into the open.

All around him his ranks were marching hastily forward into position, preparing their weapons for any foe that was ready to charge them all while his captains and commanders shouted out commands, and his catapults and Devastators continuously fired at the mountain, shaking it to its foundations.

However, as his forces soon began to close in on the path leading up and around the mountain he noticed movement along the path as he spotted multitudes of figures quickly rushing down to meet them. He knew immediately it was his enemy.

He tightly gripped his bullhook, glaring at the oncoming troops. "No matter what comes at us, keep firing at the mountain and stand your ground! We must draw out their leader and his Dragons! Warriors, advance on the path! Devastors, increase your fire!"

Almost instantly, the Devastators' barrages increased as their rate of fire had now quickened. Rocks fell from every part of the mountain they hit. At the same time, the Great Army was quickly closing in on the path - attempting to charge up it to draw out Hiccup. But as they did, they soon noticed their opponent approaching them from afar; particularly the Berkian, Warsung, Grey Raven, and Battleborn Vikings.

In an attempt to counter the charge, the Great Army's front line attempted to form up a shield wall, but then they saw something out of the blue that they did not see coming. Ahead of the large oncoming force of four thousand Archipelago Vikings came charging in three hundred mounted warriors on horses, riding fast.

"HOLD YOUR GROUND!" the Völsung commander at the front shouted, attempting to bolster them, yet even that was not enough.

The Berkian and Warsung cavalry clashed with Ivar's front lines, causing a dent in his ranks which sent the first line of warriors flying and slowly made them pull back as a result of the horses' impact. And from there, the fighting had begun.

However, that was not all that they had to offer to Ivar's warriors.

The mounted Vikings unexpectedly spaced themselves out, and it was then that from behind, Stoick along with Sigurd, Hvitserk, and Ubba came charging in with the rest of their forces, meeting head on with the enemy in a large second wave.

Stoick let out a bellowing war cry, raising his axe in the air as his men and allies all loudly roared - with their shields lifted forward and their weapons up and ready, and with a second great clash they once again splintered Ivar's front lines, sending the enemy back to the point where they were pushed away from the mountain's path.

Ivar gave a grim look as he saw this unfold. The front line of his forces were quickly being cut apart with just two waves, and now his foe was fighting his army in the open with strong resistance.

A battleline was formed between the two strong forces.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" he shouted, slamming the base of his bullhook against his chariot. "I will not lose anymore ground to them! SEND THE DRAGONS FORWARD!"

As Ivar spun his bullhook wildly and fiercely, the sound of nearly twenty roars filled the air as a number of Dragons descended down from the clouds with their mouths lit in flames.

When Stoick heard the roars his eyes almost immediately turned to the snowy sky as he watched the winged beasts flying down towards him and his men. Upon seeing this his eyes widened with shock and horror, and he nearly choked on his own voice.

"DRAGONS!" he shouted. "EVERYONE BRACE YOURSELVES!"

The men around Stoick were confused at first, but then a Monstrous Nightmare swooped in with its claws out as it picked up two Vikings in each paw and threw them up into the air before they both fell to their deaths.

What followed was chaos. More Dragons were diving in, blasting their flames on Stoick's allies while others flew in with their claws unlatched, scooping up as many Vikings as they could hold before throwing them up into the air and hurling them down towards their deaths.

At first it seemed like all had gone wrong, until the sight of one of Ivar's Dragons getting shocked by lightning caught the eyes of Stoick, Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd as it fell to the ground unconscious.

Ivar's eyes widened as he saw this from a distance. "WHAT!?"

From above, Thorwind came flying in with Magnus and Eira on top, letting out beams and bolts of electricity that struck Ivar's Dragons faster than the Viking could count, and before the young King knew it, his foe once more began to push his forces back.

"PUSH THEM BACK DAMMIT!" he yelled loudly. "DEVASTATORS, BLAST THAT DRAGON OUT OF THE SKY! FIRE ON MY COMMAND!"

The engineers operating the Devastators swiftly obliged as they turned the large iron cannons around to face above the main line, all pointed towards Thorwind.

"Magnus, look out!" Eira gasped.

Magnus spun his head towards the Devastators, noticing that they were aiming at his Dragon and were ready to blast both him, Eira, and Thorwind out of the sky, and it seemed as if they were directly in their sights…

But before Ivar could give the order, an explosion followed as a large fiery boulder out of nowhere crashed into one of the Devastators, crushing it to pieces, and setting the weapon along with the engineers operating it aflame as they screamed in the burning sensation.

Ivar and Magnus glanced up to the cliffs, and there they saw Hiccup flying on top of Toothless with his blazing sword lifted in the air. The Riders too were flying on their Dragons, but what they soon noticed was the line of siege weapons forming up along with a long line of archers.

Hiccup lowered his brows as he swung his blade down. "LOOSE!"

In one perfect volley, the two trebuchet along with the catapults, ballistae, and archers opened fired, letting all they had on the enemy. The range, though great, was enough for the enemy to get hit as the main bulk of the Great Army began to get pummeled by artillery and archer fire.

Both of Magnus' trebuchets too were striking the enemy well. The Devastators especially could not have a chance to fire back onto them as the weight from the flaming boulders they launched just crushed the cannons they hit to splinters.

"Now we're making progress." said Hiccup. "Alright gang, let's get in there! Give 'em all you got!"

The Riders immediately flew their Dragons forward, dive-bombing down towards the enemy that was now distracted on two fronts; from the archers and siege weapons on the cliffs, and from the main battleline that Stoick was leading.

And now Hiccup was about to make a third front for Ivar.

By that point however, Stoick, Sigurd, Hvitserk and Ubba had now pushed the enemy back into the field completely, and this left room for the rest of the Tribes to come running down the path to meet the enemy.

And that it exactly what they did. Dagur and Alvin both led the charge with the other Chieftains at their sides, rushing down the mountain's path like an avalanche until they met up with Stoick and engaged Ivar's forces.

It was then that a gap opened in the lines, and Dagur saw the opportunity to rush through.

"BERSERKERS, RUSH THROUGH THE OPENING! TAKE THEM ON!" Dagur shouted, rallying the Berserkers to his side as they charged towards the main battleline with their weapons drawn.

Ivar smirked, gazing at Dagur and his Berserker Tribe who were charging in. "Pathetic! I'll show you TRUE berserkers! BLOODY BERSERKERS, RUN THEM DOWN!"

From the rear of the Great Army, the remnants of the Bloody Berserkers rushed up with frenzied haste, passing through their allies' ranks. However, the main prize of the large force of Bloody Berserkers was at the front of their group which were _actual_ berserkers: Barbarians and Vikings wearing the hides of the animals they killed to represent their barbarism.

What was clear was that they were full-on berserk, and they would not give in.

The Berserkers and the Bloody Berserkers soon clashed in the gap, and from there a fierce fight broke out between the two forces.

Meanwhile from above, Hiccup and the Riders were blasting away the forces of the Great Army, as well as helping out Magnus with Ivar's Dragons. Yet from the damage they dealt to the enemy below them, it seemed like it was nothing. No matter how much they did, dozens more would take the places of the Vikings, Barbarians, and Varangians they killed.

Fishlegs sighed with exhaustion from maneuvering Meatlug. "There's so many of them!"

"Don't give in!" Heather said as she gripped onto his shoulders. "They don't stand a chance against us!"

"That… may be true!" Astrid called out as she and Stormfly knocked a Zippleback out of the sky. "But there's also these Dragons we need to worry about! They just keep coming!"

"Where did Ivar even get Dragons anyway!?" grunted Snotlout. "They're becoming a PAIN in my butt!"

"We'll talk about it later! For now stay focused!" Hiccup replied all while blasting the enemy apart with Toothless.

Despite all the Riders and their Dragons put into fighting the enemy however, more and more just kept coming. Even with their allies down below giving Ivar's forces a tough time, it was still not enough.

Ivar gazed across the battlefield, seeing how his foe now moved his forces completely away from the path, and pushed the front line of the battle out into the opened field and in front of the mountain itself. The battleline was now made up of hundreds and hundreds of men across, and so far the fight was very _slowly_ turning in Hiccup's favor.

"I've had ENOUGH OF THIS!" Ivar grunted, looking down at his Völsung general. "Order our second line of forces to push through their ranks! Scatter their warriors!"

"But what about their siege weapons, my God-King?! They're tearing our back lines apart!"

"Order the Devastators to fire on them, and focus all catapult fire on the Dragon Riders!" he ordered.

The Völsung general nodded, unlatching a battle horn from his waist before blowing it as loud as he could for all to hear. "ALL SECOND LINE FORCES, ADVANCE FORWARD! DEVASTATORS, TAKE DOWN THEIR SIEGE WEAPONS! CATAPULTS, AIM FOR THE DRAGON RIDERS!"

The second line of ranks soon quickly began their advance as they put their muscle into breaking through the Archipelago Tribes' front line. So far, Ivar's foe had only lost over a couple hundred men whilst his forces lost more than a thousand. Enough was enough for him.

As Hiccup fought from above however, he suddenly heard the loud moving of distant gears and wheels, and as he spun his head to the Devastators and noticed that their barrels had changed direction and were aiming up towards the cliffs.

Specifically towards the archers and siege weapons on the plateau.

"NO!" he screamed, swiftly maneuvering Toothless towards the large cannons in an attempt to stop them before they could attack, but it was already too late. The Devastators immediately fired, sending their large flaming projectiles towards Hiccup's allies up above.

The Warsung and Berkian archers attempted to rush out of the way from the oncoming artillery, but were unable to. The Devastators' projectiles bursted out in large explosions upon impact, taking out a majority of them in flames along with most of their artillery, leaving only a few catapults and one trebuchet standing.

The Riders, especially Magnus, could hear the screaming of their allies up above as they were burnt alive from Ivar's onslaught. From that single attack over two hundred men were lost, and soon the Devastators would fire again.

"We have to take out those Devastators, NOW!" urged Magnus. "Everyone, follow Hiccup and help him out! I'll handle Ivar's Dragons!"

Without a word, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather and the Twins flew out into the fray towards Hiccup, with their Dragons lighting their mouths aflame as they closed in on Ivar's cannons. As they did however, Astrid noticed an oncoming boulder flying towards both her and Stormfly.

"Look out, girl!"

Stormfly responded by quickly dodging the boulder, letting it fly past her as it hit the mountain behind her, but that was only the start. Soon, the catapults all began firing on the Riders, all whilst Hiccup was left to deal with the Devastators alone which now turned their attention on him.

Astrid watched from afar as Hiccup took on the large war machines, slowly blasting them to scrap and splinters one by one. But even with the effort he gave he was not dealing with them fast enough, and they begun speeding up their rate of fire onto him.

Snotlout spoke up. "What do we do now!? We can't help Hiccup with this catapult fire over our heads!"

"We'll just have to deal with it then!" Astrid called back. "Snotlout, you and the Twins will take out the catapults! Fishlegs and I will deal with the Devastators!"

"I'll help as well!" replied Heather. "I have explosive flasks that Dagur gave to me before the battle began! He said it was something Magnus made a while ago to help us in times of dire need!"

"Then we'll use them to our benefit!" Astrid nodded. "Right! Let's get moving!"

The Riders quickly split, with Astrid, Fishlegs and Heather going for the Devastators, and Snotlout and Ruffnut and Tuffnut going for the catapults.

For the Twins and Snotlout, they knew that the catapults being close to each other gave them advantage, especially since they were near the back lines of the Great Army, defended by only a few dozen archers. And so a plan was devised.

As they closed in, Snotlout immediately maneuvered Hookfang into another direction, rolling his Dragon to the side as he allowed Ruff and Tuff to go for the catapults. This in turn however attracted the attention of the Danish Viking archers guarding them. Particularly the remaining Broken Axe Vikings.

"Zippleback incoming!" the Broken Axe commander shouted. "TAKE IT OUT!"

The archers in response quickly loaded their bows and crossbows and began firing on the Twins. The enemy expected the two Riders and their Dragon to retreat or quickly get shot down, but that didn't happen. Instead, the unexpected came with a snap of a finger.

From behind the Broken Axe archers, the catapults were almost immediately set ablaze as Hookfang flew in a line over the siege weapons, breathing down fire onto them until not a single one of them were left standing. Knowing that the time was now right, Ruffnut and Tuffnut finished the job as they maneuvered their Dragon over the Broken Axe archers, letting loose a long line of Zippleback gas that ready to blow.

"Zippleback gas?!" the Broken Axe commander gasped. "EVERYONE, RUN-!"

It was too late. The gas was suddenly lit, and what followed was a loud and destructive explosion that bursted out across field over the rear ranks of the Great Army, burning their archers to smithereens.

The sound of the explosion itself caught Ivar's attention however as he turned around and noticed that all of his catapults were on fire, and that the men guarding them were completely blasted apart.

And then his eyes shifted to the side as they fell upon Hiccup.

He watched as the young Viking gave all he got with his Dragon on the Devastators, as well as with the engineers and warriors of the Iron Wolf remnants arming them. Whenever he saw the opportunity open, he would fly Toothless with haste up and across the battlefield, all before coming back down with a speedy dive-bomb and firing a powerful plasma blast onto the exposed Devastators.

Meanwhile, Fishlegs, Heather and Astrid all worked as one. To cause more damage than the Vikings already could, Heather focused on throwing her flasks into the barrels of the Devastators once they were close enough. Once that was done, Fishlegs and Astrid would aim their Dragons onto one Devastator at a time, and upon letting loose their flames onto them they would burst out with fire from the inside out.

The heat from their Dragons' fire was hot enough not just to only light Heather's flasks but to also light the ammunition that the cannons carried, causing a series of explosions that blasted apart the Iron Wolf Varangians near them for yards around.

Soon enough, only one Devastator was left standing, and the final blow would go to Hiccup.

Hiccup chuckled under his breath. "C'mon, Bud! Show 'em what you've got!"

Toothless roared with anticipation. Immediately the Night Fury flew to the skies, charging up a devastating plasma blast that would tear the large cannon apart beyond repair, and once he reached a certain altitude he knew he was ready. The Dragon plummeted down from sky, dive-bombing towards the Devastator with a high-pitched loud piercing sound that grew louder as he flew faster and faster.

The Iron Wolf engineers around the Devastator became horrified as they saw Toothless bolting down towards them.

"NIGHT FURY!" one of them shouted.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" another spoke up, but it was too late for them.

Toothless' lethal plasma blast struck the Devastator with an explosion so powerful that the cannon itself, and anyone and anything even close to it was incinerated. Any warrior or maiden ten yards around the weapon however were blasted up into the air, burning.

The explosion itself was enough to shake the ground beneath Ivar's chariot, and the warriors around him nearly fell to the ground. Upon seeing his last Devastator fall, he knew desperate action had to be taken.

His front line force was slowly beginning to be torn apart.

"DAMMIT ALL TO HEL!" he responded angrily. "If I can't deal with Hiccup and his Riders myself, then I will leave it to my Dragons! LET THEM ALL FLY FORTH!"

Once again, Ivar raised up his bullhook and began spinning it, letting out a scream that caught the attention of _nearly_ every Dragon he controlled, as well as those that still flew above the clouds.

He then pointed his bullhook towards Hiccup and the Riders, and as the lad and his Night Fury laid their gaze onto Ivar they noticed from the corner of their eyes that the Dragons that were initially fighting Magnus were now flying towards him and his friends, ready to blast them apart. Although Magnus took out ten of them with Thorwind single-handedly, it was not enough on its own.

Satisfied, Ivar turned his attention on the main battleline before riding his war chariot forward. He then lifted his bullhook up and letting out a mighty battle cry for all to hear.

Inspired, his generals and the rest of the Great Army around him roared in unison as they followed their _God-King_ into battle, and upon clashing with their foe, Ivar simply rode over his enemies like grass with his horse and chariot, breaking through the line and allowing his Great Army to advance into the ranks of the Archipelago Tribes.

Both armies were now fully engaged. The fighting now scattered across the battlefield, and to Ivar - the true battle _really_ began.

From above however, things were not looking any better for Hiccup.

"EVERYONE, RALLY TO ME!" he called out. "They're coming towards us head on-!"

"Hiccup!" called out Snotlout. "They're coming at us from behind as well! We're completely surrounded!"

"What!?"

Hiccup's eyes gazed behind them, and from above the rest of Ivar's Dragons descended. Nearly seven dozen of them flew down, lighting their mouths in flames as they were ready to burn them into oblivion.

Magnus, Thorwind and Eira attempted to storm towards them, picking up their speed, but Ivar's Dragons proved to be too quick in the situation they were in as the winged beasts rushed towards the others - almost uncatchable. It was impossible for Magnus to reach them in time, and for the first time in his life he did not know what to do. He was unable to help them out.

"This can't be!" he said, horrified. "I- I can't help them! I can't reach them in time!"

"Can't Thorwind zap himself towards Hiccup like he did last time with Vlar!?" Eira asked desperately, only for Magnus to shake his head in response.

"He doesn't have enough energy! ...Dammit what do we do!?"

For a moment, it seemed like all was lost. Hiccup and the Riders on the other side of the field were now surrounded on all sides by the oncoming Dragons.

"...Everyone, BRACE YOURSELVES!" Hiccup called out.

The Riders, with no other choice, turned their heads back and closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Yet as the large flock of Dragons flew closer, something unexpected happened…

From above, a cluster of several flaming projectiles hurled down towards Ivar's Dragons, blasting a few of them out of the air and knocking them towards the ground which as a result halted the Dragons' charge.

Ivar for a moment shifted his eyes away from the fight. Though it was his main attention as he had killed dozens of Vikings on his own thus far, his attention now turned onto the sight of his Dragons that had been blasted out of the sky by a rear attack that was not from the Riders.

"What!?" he gasped.

It was then that it happened. For one moment all fighting ceased as everyone's eyes turned to face the cliffs at the top of the mountain - towards the plateau, and there and behold they saw four Dragons flying in place with five mounted riders. Even Ivar's Dragons who were initially focused on Hiccup faced their attention towards the new riders. But what caught Hiccup's attention the most was a blonde Viking mounted on top of a Hotburple.

"Gobber..." he said to himself.

Gobber, Spitelout, Sven, and Mulch and Bucket looked down onto the battle from above, seeing the devastation of the field. Though their allies had lost many, the enemy still lost more. Determined, Gobber rose his prosthetic weapon up into the air before raising up his voice.

"VIKINGS! RIDERS O' BERK! RALLY TA YER HEIR AN' FUTURE CHIEFTAIN!"

His voice bellowed loudly, and from behind Gobber came into view the figures of hundreds of Dragons with Vikings mounted on top of them. They all lined up at his side, cheering with anticipation as the blonde Viking swung his prosthetic down, pointing at the enemy.

"FER BERK!"

* * *

 **Things are about to get real!**


	75. The Great Battle - Act II

**Apologies for the wait! I was going to upload this next chapter yesterday but something that had me busy came up. However, there is no need to fear, because now the next chapter is here!**

 **As usual with battles like these, I recommend listening to epic battle or cinematic music while reading to give a better experience.**

 **Now without further ado, let's continue!**

 **Update: Noticed a dialogue mistake. Now it is fixed.**

* * *

"FER BERK!"

Gobber pointed his prosthetic down towards the enemy, aiming directly at Ivar, and with that the hundreds of Dragon riders roared as they flew down to take on the Great Viking Army.

And now the battle was about to turn for the worst for Ivar

Stoick rose his axe up as the riders of Berk and their Dragons descended, lobbing it into the chest of a Jomsviking warrior he was facing before quickly decapitating him. "PUSH FORWARD, VIKINGS!"

Almost instantly the fighting continued, and this time, the forces of the Archipelago and their allies were bolstered, so much so that they charged head on into Ivar's ranks, clashing with them to the point where they were slowly being pushed back once more, especially since now their forces were being blasted apart and tossed up into the air by the riders of Berk.

Up in the air Hiccup was able to come back to his senses. He immediately ordered Toothless to attack, and the Night Fury quickly obliged - firing a plasma blast towards a nearby Gronckle which was enough to knock the Dragon out of the sky unconscious.

The Dragons that surrounded him locked their eyes onto him and the Riders, but before they could attack their glances immediately shifted towards the many dozens of Berkian Dragon riders that flew onto them from behind, and at the front of the flying flock was Gobber.

Ivar's Dragons quickly turned their backs on Hiccup, storming towards Gobber and those who accompanied him. But as they engaged the blonde Viking and his fellow Vikings, it seemed that their numbers and strength was too much. The Berkian riders and their Dragons slowly began plucking them out of the sky, breathing out fire and even going as far as to piling on them to pin them down.

As Hiccup saw this unfold, he heard Gobber's voice speak up - and immediately his attention turned to him. Along with that, Spitelout, Sven, and Bucket and Mulch were also with him.

Snotlout rose both of his brows however as he spotted his father on his Nadder. "Dad?!" he called out. "What are you doing here? I thought you-"

"We're here to help you, boy-o!" Spitelout replied. "As for my Dragon, I'll tell you later! For now leave this to us!"

"Just you and your lot?" spoke Hiccup. "But we can clean this mess up faster if we-"

Gobber shook his head. "Save it Hiccup! Jus' go an' help yer father! We'll deal with tha rest o' these buggers!"

"Very well, Gobber! ...Also, I just want to say thank you! You helped secure our victory over this battle today!"

The older man shook his head. "This battle isn't over yet, laddie! Now go!"

Hiccup nodded, turning his gaze back to the others. "Riders! On me! Magnus, come help me out!"

"With pleasure!" Magnus called out. "Come, Thorwind! Let's light them up!"

Hiccup, Magnus and the Riders descended their Dragons down towards Stoick and the other Chieftains, ready to give the enemy all they had. By now a majority of the Great Army had been slain, and some even began retreating. But now things were about to get even worse for them.

Hiccup and his allies would ensure that none of them would leave the battlefield alive.

"We can't let them escape!" Hiccup called out, turning his eyes to his allies. "Mala! Get your archers to fire onto their retreating warriors! Take them down!"

Mala nodded as she heard his voice, raising her blade up after swiftly slicing it across the neck of a Saxon warrior. "DEFENDERS OF THE WING, AIM YOUR ARROWS ONTO THEM! LET NONE ESCAPE!"

The Defenders from afar immediately brought forth their archers, and soon a large volley of arrows flew over the battlefield. Hundreds of them came pouring over the warriors who were retreating, and yet even after that one volley they still would not stop firing.

None were able to retreat.

Hiccup's eyes then turned to Alvin. "Alvin! Charge through the center with my dad, and get Bertha and Mogadon around the flanks!"

"With pleasure!" he replied back. "Outcasts, get yer rears te tha center! PUSH 'EM BACK! Mogadon, Bertha, get around tha flanks!"

As Alvin led the Outcasts down through center of the battlefield to assist Stoick, Bertha and the Bog Burglars along with Mogadon and the Meatheads ran around the left and right flanks of the Great Army's forces. Though the battle was spread out as a result of Ivar ordering the rest of his army forward, their intention was to group the enemy back up from the flanks.

And it seemed to be working.

Satisfied with what Hiccup was seeing, he continued the fight along with the other Riders, flying across the field over the heads of the large armies that fought below and blasting the enemy to cinders.

With all of the combined effort from Berk's Dragon riders, the Tribes and the allied Clans, and even Hiccup and the group, Ivar's army was slowly falling apart. However, it was not falling apart entirely, nor quick enough.

Though many of Ivar's Dragons were dropping towards the ground like leaves, some of the Berkian riders were unfortunate to get pinned down by hand-tossed bolas.

From afar, Hiccup saw a Dragon and their rider get taken out of the sky by multiple bolas from an oncoming force of some remaining Dark Eye Vikings. The crazed Swedish warriors then charged the rider and his Dragon, eager to take them out.

Hiccup lowered his brows as he tightly grasped onto the head of his saddle, turning Toothless towards the downed rider. "C'mon, Toothless! Show 'em what you've got Bud!"

The Night Fury opened his mouth, lighting it up in flames as he dive-bombed directly towards the charging Dark Eye Vikings. As soon as he was a few mere yards away from them he then fired his swift but powerful plasma blast, knocking the Dark Eye Vikings down to the ground in flames. Along with that, the bolas quickly burnt from Toothless' fire, allowing the rider and his Dragon to fly back up and re-engage the battle.

"Haha! Excellent, Bud!" cheered Hiccup.

Toothless warbled in satisfaction as he continued his assault on the enemy, once more pummeling his fiery attacks onto them as if they were just sport to him.

Even the Riders were having a good time taking down their foe one by one, and even groups at a time or by the dozens.

However, Astrid would not be so lucky.

From the corner of her eye she spotted multiple bolas coming at her from the left, and before she could even react she felt Stormfly crashing down as her wings and limbs were wrapped and caught by the large heavy ropes.

Before they could hit the ground however, Astrid quickly hurled herself off Stormfly, rolling to break her fall until she was able to stand up to her feet and straighten herself out. She could see that they both landed in a clearing off to the side of the battle, making them both completely exposed. She tightened the grip on her axe in case anyone was to approach her and her Dragon.

One man however, did.

Ivar rode before her atop his chariot, grinning evilly as he tauntingly spun his bullhook at her.

"Well well well!" he laughed. "Look who it is! You must Astrid Hofferson; Hiccup's girlfriend and lover. Oh I've heard so much about you ever since you and your friends were captured at Skyrsdok. Tell me, shieldmaiden - how does it feel to be facing me, a God, head on?"

Astrid arched a brow. "Wait- you, a God?" she chuckled. "Now _that_ I find funny! There is no way that you're a God, and nor will you ever be! Only Odin knows who the true Gods are, and you are not one of them!"

"Ah, but I am." he said. "I am the God Ivar, and as part of the Aesir I say that it will be _my_ pleasure to kill you in their name! You stand no chance!"

"No chance against a cripple?" asked Astrid. "If I butchered your horse you would be useless on your chariot. You can't-"

"That is where you are wrong."

Ivar lowered his brows, rotating himself to face the back of his chariot. Using his bullhook he effortlessly helped himself off the chariot, hastily limping until his feet touched the ground - standing tall and straight.

It was clear to Astrid that compared to her and even Hiccup, Ivar was quite tall - especially for someone his age.

As the young Viking King turned to face Astrid, he swiftly made his way towards the shocked shieldmaiden - walking until he stopped in place, standing more than a few feet off in front of her.

Astrid's eyes were widened. "You- you can walk? Impossible..."

Ivar chuckled. "Nothing is impossible if you're a God. Now, fight me!"

Without wasting another word, the two Vikings rushed at each other, raising their weapons as they met and began brawling it out; and although the two were great warriors, it was obvious that Ivar was the better warrior of their fight.

Astrid knew that although Ivar could walk, he was not entirely invincible. To slow him down, she focused on circling the stronger and more skilled Viking, striking in vulnerable spots that were either out of reach for him to block. To help along with this, Astrid also used her acrobatics to dodge any oncoming attack that Ivar made, but they proved to not be as effective. As a result of her effort, the most Astrid had done was make a few scratches on his face, and as well as lob her axe into the side of his left shoulder, but even that was not enough to stop him.

And now Ivar had a plan up his sleeves.

Knowing that Astrid was attempting to slow him down by circling him, he did not bother spinning to follow along with it. He began by using his bullhook to even the odds and make her attacks less efficient by using both ends of the weapon. He would spin the bullhook in circles around him and reach out to parry and block any attacks she made, making it nearly impossible for him to even get another scratch on him. Once she was directly in front of him however, that's when he went out on her.

He struck fast with both ends of his bullhook, advancing on her which caused the young shieldmaiden to back up from every move he made, until finally she found herself down on the ground.

Ivar spun his bullhook at her legs, causing her to fall down to the ground and land hard on her back in pain. She then looked up at the slowly advancing Viking and attempted to back up in desperation and fear from the crazed boy's gaze. She did not know what else to feel or where else to go. There was nowhere to run. She shockingly felt scared, and she felt like she was now going to die…

"I told you that you couldn't win, Hofferson." he laughed. "Now… enjoy your eternity in Helheim as I-!"

It was then that Ivar suddenly felt him get knocked off of his feet, hurling backwards as he too fell hard to the ground - landing head first into the dirt from the unexpected attack.

Though surprised, he grunted in anger and slowly began helping himself up with the support of his bullhook. As soon as he was straightened out, he turned around towards the ones who struck and gave a baffled, disbelieving look.

Before him stood Hiccup with Toothless who helped Astrid up to her feet. However, what caught his main attention was not just the scrawny Viking alone, but as well as the three Vikings that stood at Hiccup's side.

It was Ivar's brothers; Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd.

"My brothers…" he said angrily. "So it was YOU THREE who were helping Hiccup out from the start! Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd you damned traitors! How could you betray me!? How are you even ALIVE!?"

"You were the one who betrayed us!" spat Ubba. "You casted me out when the first Great Army invaded Britannia, and you tossed me and your people into the dirt!"

"You sentenced me to die on a prison island!" growled Sigurd. "Me and the Völsung Clansmen you betrayed did not want another war, and yet you brought it anyways! It because of this that we became the Warsung under Magnus! He has proven to be a better Chieftain than you!"

Hvitserk's brows lowered. "And you were the one who shunned me aside even after all I did for you, Ivar. I supported you every step of the way, and yet even after we returned to Norway you still treated me like a dog and threatened my warriors, who were YOUR PEOPLE! Why do you think Kattegat has lost so much after you proclaimed Ubba and I dead!?"

"If our father saw you for what you are, he would be disappointed in you, little brother!"

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Ivar yelled as he slammed the base of his bullhook into the ground. "Ragnar chose me to be his Heir before he died, and I carried out his dream! I am the true son of Ragnar Lothbrök! The rest of you on the other hand are nothing! When you die you will be thrown out of Valhalla, while _I_ will be the one to sit by my brothers and sisters of the Aesir, as well as our father and Odin himself!"

"You stand no chance against me; a God!"

The group's eyes widened with a mixed feeling of disturbance and confusion at Ivar's words. He really was insane...

"You think your father would have ever wanted THIS?" asked Hiccup. "A war against the whole world!? You're mad! And you proclaiming yourself a God? Odin would never accept you!"

"Say what you want, Slave!" Ivar taunted. "But unbeknownst to you, I am the one who has the better of this battle! GENERALS, RALLY TO ME!"

Ivar's voice bellowed out loudly, and surprisingly his three generals rallied to him in a matter of seconds with warriors at their sides, almost as if they were close by. Their weapon were unsheathed, and it was clear that they were ready for a fight.

"You called for us, my God-King!" the Jomsviking general saluted.

Ivar nodded. "Change of plans, generals! Bring me the heads of my brothers, and you will earn my favor! Now kill them!"

"As you command, my lord Ivar!" nodded the Völsung general. "CHARGE THEM, LADS! FIGHT FOR YOUR GOD AND KING!"

Hiccup spun his head, looking back at Astrid. "Free Stormfly and go help out the others! We'll deal with them!"

"I'll do my best!" Astrid replied. She then swiftly ran over to Stormfly, cutting off the ropes of the bolas in one strike before mounting up and swiftly flying off back towards the battlefield.

Ivar's generals wasted no time. They charged towards the four Vikings and Night Fury, with their warriors at their side following behind to help even the odds. But Hiccup only gave a smirk as he looked back at Toothless.

"Deal with their guards, Bud!" he nodded.

The black Dragon growled, charging up a plasma blast and quickly hurling it over the generals and towards their warriors that followed - and as the generals engaged Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd, Toothless stormed towards the weakened guards, ready to give them a living Hel.

During all of this however, Hiccup almost forgot about Ivar as he watched Toothless run into combat. At the corner of his eye he spotted Ivar rushing up to him with his bullhook raised out in front of him in an attempt to strike the lad, letting out a battle cry.

Hiccup immediately reacted, bringing up his fiery Dragon's Blade and blocking the attack. However, Hiccup was more surprised than anything after noticing that Ivar didn't slowly walked towards him, but rather _charged_ him.

"You- you can run?" he asked. "But how is that possible?"

"You should thank my puppet Vlar for that." Ivar chuckled. "Were it not for him, I would have remained a cripple for the rest of my life. I will enjoy finally fighting you!"

"Then shut up and fight already, Boneless!"

"With pleasure, Slave!"

And from there, the two great warriors finally fought.

Hiccup knew that although Ivar was strong and as quick as he was, he was not invulnerable. He saw that Astrid had already done some damage to the Viking, and thus he took advantage of what she already did, especially towards Ivar's left shoulder.

To slow him down, Hiccup made swift but inaccurate attacks which would force Ivar into blocking and dodging every one of them. With every quick reacting move Ivar made to counter Hiccup's attacks, he felt the air from his lungs get less and less as he himself became more exhausted. He knew something was up, but he didn't know exactly what it was. After some time had passed however, it was then that Hiccup finally struck.

His fiery blade hurled around towards Ivar's bleeding left shoulder, and with a slice across the already inflicted wound he made the cut even deeper, causing Ivar to scream as he bashed Hiccup back with the tip of his bullhook.

Hiccup took a few steps back as he felt the weapon scratch across the side of his face. Almost immediately he felt small droplets of blood run down his face, but he did not care. He was more surprised than anything. For the first time ever, he actually struck Ivar with a grievous blow.

The Viking King looked back at Hiccup with a grim look as he ran a hand across the bloody wound on his shoulder. "You dare strike ME!? YOU DARE TO-!?"

Suddenly he felt himself get pushed down from behind to the ground head first as a black winged figure leaped over him and ran to Hiccup's side. Toothless had managed to swiftly handle the generals' guards, and was ready to assist Hiccup once more.

Ivar stood to his feet, feeling dazed. "You damn Night Fury!" he spat. "I will cut out your tongue and skin your hide-!"

His words were once more immediately cut off however as Hiccup took the opportunity to strike during his boast, punching Ivar with a swift and direct hit to the nose to which he then backed up with a surprised look on his face, glaring down at Hiccup.

"Do you see now?" Hiccup asked him. "Gods cannot be easily touched, and you only prove that you are not a God."

"And nor were any of your generals any better!" called out Ubba.

Hiccup turned his eyes, spotting Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd stepping forward out of combat, each of them carrying the decapitated heads of Ivar's generals in their hands as they threw them before their younger brother.

Ivar's eyes widened. "W- What?"

"Your generals lacked a lot of skill, Ivar." stated Sigurd. "Maybe you too have forgotten that we three are also the sons of Ragnar Lothbrök."

Hvitserk nodded in agreement. "Even now I feel his disappointment in you, little brother. You're no Viking, just a crazed Tyrant. You dishonor Ragnar and you dishonor our family name!"

Ivar only stood there in silence, taking in what his brothers had just said to him. Yet no matter how long he thought about their words, it did not at all affect how he felt.

The young Viking then unlatched a horn from the side of his waist and blew it loudly, calling out for his army- his _Great_ Viking Army, to retreat, and before they knew it, the few remaining thousand Vikings began to flee out into the opened fields, running East towards the direction leading to Kattegat like a large horde of bulls. After all, they had lost more than what they even killed.

And they knew that they would never truly heal from their battle.

As the Great Army retreated, the combined forces of the Archipelago just stood there in shock, but also in confusion after seeing that the enemy was suddenly fleeing. Had they finally won?

Hiccup looked at Ivar as the Viking mounted onto his chariot, eye widened. "What are you doing?!"

"Celebrate while you can, Slave! If I can't finish you off, then I will leave it to my pet! He will enjoy burning your army to a crisp!"

Ivar quickly turned around to face out towards the field as his brothers and Hiccup stood there, almost stunned. But then he rose his bullhook up into the air and began spinning it wildly in circles. His grunt became a growl, and then his growl turned into screaming.

"AHHHH! AHHHHH! AAAHHHHHHHH!"

And then it happened…

The ground beneath their feet began to shake from a strong gust of wind that blew down violently from the clouds and onto the Vikings of the Archipelago. It was so strong that even the earth began to split and cause many small tremors to crack and appear, and as the armies of the Archipelago looked up to the skies they nearly trembled in fear and broke.

A roar louder than thunder boomed across the field, and the clouds were suddenly lit in bright flames as a Dragon larger than any they had ever seen flew down from above with its wings wide and out, landing and crashing down so hard that the ground itself shook like an earthquake.

The Red Death had descended...


	76. The Great Battle - Act III

**The final part of this great battle is here, folks! Today you will see what will go down in this chapter, and as well as the result of it all. But if any of you have already figured it out, you probably know what is going to happen...**

 **As usual with these battle chapters, I recommend listening to epic cinematic battle music for a better reading experience, and of course, make sure to wear headphones!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Red Death let out a thunderous roar as it landed far off from the armies of the Archipelago, and by its look, everyone could tell that it was ready to let out all it had. Even Stoick and Gobber could both see it coming.

"Odin help us…" Stoick muttered as the large Dragon slowly stomped its way towards them.

On the other side of the battlefield, Hiccup, and Ivar's brothers stood stunned as they gazed upon the fire-breathing leviathan, and yet Ivar stood there grinning at the horror he had just unleashed.

"By the Gods… what is that?!" gasped Ubba.

Ivar turned his eyes to the others, spreading his arms out. "Behold my greatest weapon! The power of a God! The Red Death! After more than a month of torturing this beast, the Dragon has been put under my divine will! Were it not for it's weakened state, I would have not been able to break it…"

"But now it is stronger than ever! Strong enough to lay waste to your entire army, and to your Dragon riders! While I would love to stay here and chat, I have plans of my own that I need to carry out! More forces to recruit, a new Dragon army to build! Oh… so many things in such little time!"

Ivar then turned his back on Hiccup and the others, whipping his horse forward as he quickly started to ride off towards the Southeast, heading towards Kattegat. "My regards to Drago Bludvist for the Dragons!"

"Drago who?! Who helped build your Dragon army!?" called out Hiccup. "COME BACK AND FIGHT DAMN YOU! IVAR!"

Hiccup in a hasted move attempted to run and chase Ivar by foot, but a hand immediately fell on his shoulder as Sigurd reached his arm out and stopped the young Viking from following him.

"Don't do it, Hiccup." he said. "Right now we have a bigger problem over our shoulders. We have to deal with that monster!"

Everyone's eyes turned back towards the Red Death as it continued slowly making its way towards the Tribes of the Archipelago that were on the brink of running, and as it came closer, many felt the urge to run back up the path of the mountain and to the top.

"Get back to the camp!" one warrior yelled as the massive chain route began, with many pushing their way towards the path.

Stoick's eyes widened at the sight of the retreat, knowing clearly that they were exposed. "No! NO!"

It was then that the Red Death got into range. The large Dragon stopped in place as it's mouth lit up with bright orange flames, and before anyone could react the beast breathed out a massive stream of fire on the army, burning and incinerating any who attempted to run up the path.

The Red Death then turned towards it's attention towards the center of the lines, and with another powerful breath of fire it streamed down the center of the army, burning more Vikings by the hundreds and splitting the ranks in two with a giant wall of fire.

Thankfully for Stoick and the other Chieftains, they managed to survive the firestorm, but many of their forces were not so lucky. By now they had lost hundreds and hundreds of warriors and maidens to the Red Death's assault, and now there was chaos unfolding.

Alvin who stood nearby looked back him. "Wha' do we do now, Stoick!?"

"Gah! We have to get out of here!" he said. "Alvin, gather the other Chieftains that are with us and rally on the other side of the mountain! We can't stay here!"

Alvin nodded in obligement, signalling for the other Chieftains with them to rally and make way to the back of the mountain. The warriors and Chieftains on the other side of the great wall of fire however already had the idea to run to the far side as well, thus both sides of the army split off and began running towards the back of the mountain.

From above on the plateau, the remaining archers along with the trebuchet and siege weapons attempted to fire onto the Red Death and damage it, giving all they had on it, but not even an arrow could pierce it's rough hide. Thus, the large Dragon responded by blasting forth a great fireball, causing an explosion that caused rocks to fall off the side of the mountain as the archers and siege weapons burnt to a crisp.

Hiccup grunted, glaring down the Red Death. "We can't hope sustain another attack from that beast! If I have to, I will lay down everything if that's what it takes to kill it. Toothless and I will go!"

"Are you insane?" asked Hvitserk. "That thing is like a moving mountain! It will crush you before you can even-"

"I don't care!" interrupted Hiccup. "Ivar is the one who unleashed that beast, and it's already killed hundreds of us. The Red Death is my responsibility as much as Ivar is! I will put an end to it…"

"...Toothless, are you with me?"

The Night Fury responded with a light roar as he approached his rider, leaning down and allowing Hiccup to mount onto him before unlatching his tail fin. Hiccup then looked back, giving Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd a nod.

"While I'm up there, you guys should get with your warriors. They'll most likely be following my dad around the mountain."

"We will." said Ubba. "And Hiccup… good luck."

"You too." he replied, turning his head to face the Red Death. "Alright bud, let's get this done with!"

Toothless wasted not a single moment. He began by running forward, quickly picking up speed before eventually swiftly taking off - making way towards the Dragon Riders that were fighting the Red Death with Gobber and Berk's riders.

Although they were outmatched, they still gave the Dragon all they had.

"Focus on it's head!" shouted Magnus as Thorwind rode around the large Dragon, breathing out beams of lightning. "Make sure that thing doesn't fire again! Blind it!"

"Aye! Ye heard him!" called out Gobber. "Blast tha' bloody thing ta cinders!"

The order came out loud and clear to all of the Dragon riders as they started pummeling down fire onto the Red Death, aiming towards it's head. The Nightmares, Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks, and many other Dragons that were with them; they gave the beast all they had, and yet it was not enough. Even the large amount of smoke they made could not blind the Red Death as the Dragon did not have a blind spot.

This especially became clear when it opened it's other four eyes.

"What the-?!" gasped Eira who still rode with Magnus. "That thing has six eyes!"

"Uh- this thing doesn't have a blind-spot!" yelled Fishlegs. "What do we do now?!"

"Evasive maneuvers, everyone!" Astrid replied, raising up her voice. "Don't let that thing get a clear shot or we're-!"

Before she could finish however, a sudden and large blazing blast fired out from the Red Death, passing over her head by just a few feet and nearly hitting her. Although she was lucky to dodge it, many above her were not.

Dozens and dozens of Dragon riders above her were hit by the Red Death's attack, and they screamed as the incinerating flames burnt them alive - all before both they and their Dragons went spiraling down towards the field down below.

"This isn't looking good!" Heather called out. "Astrid, do you have another plan?!"

"Brace yourself for the worst, everyone! We need to get this beast off our trail and get out of here, or else we are screwed! We have to-!"

Astrid's voice immediately cut off however as the familiar sound of a loud roar filled the air, followed by an ear-piercing screech that became louder as it came closer and closer. Her eyes gazed to her East, staring up as she spotted a black dot dive-bombing towards the Red Death.

"NIGHT FURY!" one warrior shouted out.

"GET DOWN!" yelled Gobber.

Toothless came flying in with speed, and with great plasma blast the Night Fury let out much of what he could onto the large leviathan. So powerful the blast was that it knocked the Red Death off all fours, causing it to plummet on it's side and fall to the ground.

The sight of Hiccup and Toothless had the Dragon riders of Berk cheering as the two came into view before Astrid and the group. Both of them were ready to handle the situation.

"What did I miss?" Hiccup asked them.

"Took you long enough, Hiccup!" sighed Astrid. "That Dragon has killed more than a hundred of our riders so far! We're nearly down to half!"

"What's worse is that we can't pierce it. It's skin and hide is too strong!" Magnus added on, glancing back at the Red Death as it slowly attempted to get back up on all it's fours. "...We need to plan something out before it gets back up!"

"What else have you tried?" asked Hiccup. "Did you use any other methods?"

"There's nothing more we can do!" replied Snotlout. "We can't just attack it from the inside-out, Hiccup! Not before being bursted in flames! If anything, that would be the only way to possibly kill this beast, if Odin even allowed it!"

"Hmm, from the inside-out…?" he whispered to himself. "...I think I have an idea! If what you say is true and that you can't pierce it, then I'll have to use a different approach!"

"You?" asked Astrid. "Wait- You can't be serious! You want to-"

"Fight it alone? It's the only way." he answered her. "Right now Toothless and I have most likely caught it's attention, so it will be coming after the both of us. And besides, it's me it wants, not you guys! Ivar raised the Red Death as his pet… but I will be the one to get rid of it!"

"Hiccup!" Gobber called out. "It's gettin' back up! Ya better get ready fer it!"

"I know!" he responded back. "Gobber, just get everyone out of here! Leave this to me!"

Gobber gave a nod, motioning his hand towards Spitelout, Sven, and Bucket and Mulch to follow him. As the five flew off, the rest of Berk's riders followed, and soon Astrid, Magnus and the others followed as well - not looking back. Although Astrid sadly frowned at Hiccup's idea, she knew there was no other option.

She sighed, tilting her head down. "Good luck, Hiccup…"

After watching them fly off, the sound of large wings flapping behind Hiccup caught his attention. He and Toothless both turned around, watching as the Red Death quickly got back up on it's feet. But now, it was off it's feet and flying.

"Oh… hello there." he stuttered whilst gripping tightly on Toothless' saddle. "Well, he can fly!"

The Red Death responded with a bellowing roar to Hiccup, and it immediately started flying towards Hiccup with speed - fast enough to where it seemed _as if_ it nearly matched Toothless' speed.

"C'mon Bud, let's lead it away!"

Toothless nodded as he swiftly bolted in the other direction, flying as fast as his wings could allow him. Although he was slightly faster, the Red Death could still as easily catch up with him. What was obvious however was that the chase was now on.

In an attempt to slow the large Dragon down, Toothless focused on flying around the mountain, making wide curving manuevers so that although he could turn and tire out the beast behind them, he would not lose speed as a result. However, the Red Death's size did not take the full effect. Although it was large and able to be tired out with immense flight, it still had Toothless and Hiccup in it's sights due to its size.

"Come on, Bud!" Hiccup said, motivating the black Dragon. "We can do this!"

As their chase around the mountain continued, the two soon caught the eyes of the thousands of Archipelago Vikings of whom were retreating to the other side of the mountain, and they all began cheering for Hiccup in an attempt to motivate and inspire him and Toothless to keep going.

Even Stoick, who glanced back at his son, gave a surprised look as he and Toothless swiftly flew past him with the Red Death in toll. Deep down, he knew the young lad had a clever plan.

"You can do it, Son." he smirked.

After some time of travelling around the mountain, Hiccup noticed a slight difference in the Red Death's speed as it started to slow down just a little bit. However, it was still good enough to give a noticeable speed difference between it and Toothless.

Hiccup's gaze then looked up towards the skies, focusing on the dark grey clouds that gathered. Although it would be difficult for him to see if he flew up, Toothless would have no problem guiding his way through with his Dragon senses… and it would be enough to trap the Red Death where he wanted it to be.

"Alright, Toothless! Time to disappear! Come on, Bud!"

Hiccup immediately shifted gears for Toothless' tail fin, flying the Dragon up towards the clouds with the Red Death still behind them. While flying, all of the Tribes of the Archipelago down below were looking back onto Hiccup and the gigantic Dragon that followed him. They gasped and chattered in surprising and interested tones, and soon both Hiccup and Toothless along with the Red Death were out of sight.

The Red Death stopped in place, looking around at it's surroundings. All it saw were clouds around it, and no sight of either Toothless or Hiccup. Though it had strong senses, it was not enough to look through the dense and dark clouds…

It continued glancing around, looking for a sign of the two, and then it heard it.

A loud screech filled the air around the Red Death, and then from out of nowhere, a powerful burst of purple fire from Toothless' plasma blast hit the back of it's head, causing the large Dragon to flinch.

From behind the clouds, Hiccup and Toothless flew around the Red Death, firing plasma blast after plasma blast onto the beast from all directions - as well as from those it would not see coming, nor couldn't have seen coming. Their moves were so fast and precise that the Red Death could not keep track from where they were coming from. From the perspective of Stoick, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, and the Riders along with the Viking Tribes however, Toothless' plasma blasts looked like lightning from Thor striking the sky.

For the Red Death however, enough was enough. It bellowed out a mighty roar which thundered the air around Hiccup and Toothless, and the Dragon breathed out a great stream of fire which lit the clouds ablaze once more. Unfortunately for Hiccup and Toothless, they were in the crosshairs of the large flames.

"Watch out!"

Toothless sped up as he caught gaze of the large wave of fire closing in on them, and although they both managed to dodge it and save themselves from their fiery deaths - the same could not be said for the prosthetic tail fin as it was caught on fire.

Hiccup looked back at the fin, giving a frustrated expression. "Alright, time's up! Let's see if we can finish this!"

Knowing that there was no more time to spend, the two suddenly flew out into the open once more - getting the Red Death's undivided and yet angry attention onto them. And just like so, they began their flight back down.

"Come on, is that the best you can do!?" taunted Hiccup.

The Red Death roared in rage, glaring down Hiccup as it gained speed, getting faster and faster on the way down. Even from afar the others were able to see this, and as he and Toothless got closer and closer to the ground, the large Dragon behind them opened it's mouth and prepared to unleash it's flames, ready to give Hiccup one last taste of its fiery wrath using all that it had. But as Hiccup heard the Red Death's breath as it prepared to fire again, he knew the time was now, and the moment was upon him.

"NOW BUD! Shoot into it's mouth!"

Toothless swiftly turned around, firing a quick but strong enough plasma blast into the Red Death's mouth before the large Dragon itself could even fire back, and the result was almost like a miracle. Flames began to smoke out from the Red Death's mouth as they were quickly spreading throughout it's entire body, tearing the beast apart from the inside-out while it roared in pain.

The Red Death attempted to stop itself, spreading its wings out. But with its wings ripping from the flames it would not give enough to stop the fall, and it would be too late. The large Dragon would meet it's fiery end as it plummeted towards the ground, bursting in a large bright explosion of fire that sent a shockwave out for hundreds and hundreds of yards.

In an attempt to get to safety, Hiccup and Toothless immediately flew upwards to get away from the fiery explosion, dodging the remaining part of the Red Death's body as it came crashing down and incinerated with the fire. However, as Hiccup attempted to press on the pedals to flip the tail fin open, he looked back at Toothless' tail and saw that the prosthetic wing was damaged beyond repair. It was broken.

"Oh no! No no no NO NO-!"

His voice instantly filled with horror as his eyes looked back at the Red Death's large tail that came down upon him, and just like that, Hiccup was knocked off Toothless - unconscious as he fell straight down towards the flames.

Toothless' eyes widened seeing Hiccup fall from his back. Without thinking he spun around and flew down as fast as he could towards the young Viking, falling towards him as the two of them both went through the engulfing flames…

…

* * *

A dense fog covered the battlefield after the firestorm cooled down. The intensity of Hiccup's battle with the Red Death had left the land scarred. But even with the gigantic monster now taken care of, the aftermath was not a cheerful or happy one.

As Stoick walked through the smoke with Astrid and the others, he called out his son's name loudly in hopes of a response.

"Hiccup! ...HICCUP! ...SON!"

He rose his voice up as loud as he could, but to of no avail.

However, as he squinted his eyes up ahead of him, he noticed a familiar black figure laying on it's side in the dirt with it's wings folded and body curved. It was Toothless.

Astrid's eyes widened with suspense. "Is that Toothless?" she asked. "If he's here, where's-"

"Hiccup…" Stoick said softly.

The two Vikings without another word ran towards the downed Dragon to get a closer look of what possibly became of Hiccup, but as soon as they stood before the injured Night Fury they saw no signs of the young Viking.

They both only noticed that Toothless' prosthetic tail fin was burnt and broken, and that his saddle was torn and covered in black char from the smoke. If what they saw was correct, then Hiccup was truly gone…

"Th- This can't be..." Astrid stuttered. "He can't be gone!"

Toothless looked back at the two Vikings, crooning softly as if he was trying to tell them something.

Behind Stoick and Astrid, Gobber and the group along with the Tribes of the Archipelago, the Chieftains, the riders of Berk, and the Sons of Ragnar stood in sympathy for the sight they were seeing. Even their Dragons felt the urge to mourne for the fallen Viking.

Astrid fell to her knees, exhaling shakingly. "Hiccup…" she said softly. "Why did you abandon me? I loved you so much..."

Her words quickly failed her however as a loud sob escaped her mouth. She felt her eyes fill up with tears before they slowly started to run down her pale-looking face. For the first time in her life, Astrid Hofferson the shieldmaiden shedded her tears and cried.

Stoick sighed, placing a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "I did this…" he said. "I should have been there when a father needed him the most. It's not your fault that he is gone. It's mine…"

A moment of silence followed as Astrid sat there on her knees, silently sobbing whilst the Dragon Riders and Gobber felt dreadful. Not only had they lost the future Chieftain of Berk, but they had also lost a dear friend. The one who brought them so far…

Or so they thought.

Toothless crooned, motioning with his head towards his chest as he unfolded his wings, revealing Hiccup's body.

"Hiccup!" Stoick and Astrid said in unison.

The moment of silence suddenly broke as Stoick said his name, giving off an anticipating feeling to the Vikings behind him. He immediately knelt down, pulling the young Viking to his side to check and see if he was alive. He took off his helmet, tossing it to the side as he held his ear near his son's mouth.

…

...There was a breath.

"He- he's alive!" Stoick announced, nearly sobbing up. "You brought him back alive!"

His words brought life back to the Vikings. Almost instantly their hopes returned them, and they cheered in unison, raising their weapons up high in celebration. Not only had Hiccup survived, but he had also beaten back Ivar and managed to destroy the Red Death; taking a risk no other Viking would have ever taken.

It was a victory.

Stoick looked back at the Night Fury with gratitude in his face. "Thank you Toothless… for saving my Son."

Although Toothless had saved him however, Stoick's words were not entirely accurate as Gobber stepped forward, looking down at the unconscious Viking.

"...Well, most o' him."


	77. A Dramatic Turn

**Here we are guys! The next chapter!**

 **After the events of the three previous chapters I will say that what happens in this one may be surprising to you not just in terms of events, but also in terms of time since there is time jump due to Hiccup being out and unconscious, and it may be longer than you think...**

 **Also, since Gobber mentioned "most of him" last chapter, you all probably know what that means for Hiccup, so no need to guess!**

 **Anyways, please enjoy!**

* * *

It was hard for him to know where he was at first. Was he dreaming, or was this all real to him? He did not know.

All Hiccup saw as his slowly eyes opened was a dim light as thunder lightly rolled around him. Judging by the sound of droplets that hit the roof of the large tent over him he could tell that he was in the camp, and that it was raining.

Another thing he could also tell by the lack of armor was that he was wearing his casual brown and green clothes

"When will he wake up?" a familiar feminine voice asked. "He's been in a coma for far too long. Everyone is beginning to worry for him."

"I don't know, Astrid." another voice replied, this time masculine. "His injuries from the Red Death were quite extensive. Having bruises is one thing, but losing part of a lim-?"

"...Where am I?"

Hiccup's voice spoke weakly as he groaned, opening his eyes up to the best of his ability until he found the strength to open them entirely. The grey morning light pierced his eyes as he looked up towards the figures that stood by his bedroll. Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Gobber, Stoick, and the Riders along with Ivar's brothers looked at Hiccup with shocked but relieved faces.

"He's woken up..." Stoick gasped with relief, kneeling to Hiccup's level and placing his hands on the lad's shoulders. "My boy…"

"Dad?" Hiccup asked, looking back at the Chieftain. "W- What happened? ...Did we- win the battle?"

Stoick sighed, nodding his head. "Aye, Son. Thanks to you, we managed to win the battle against Ivar and his Dragon… But it came with a great cost for us. Those who fought with us and died now rest and drink in Valhalla, most likely telling stories about us. You on the other hand however were lucky. You were only unconscious."

Hiccup let out a light exhale as he slowly sat himself up. "H- how many did we lose?" he asked.

"We lost nearly a thousand men in total, and that doesn't includes the Dragon riders who were lost in the firestorm - which was almost half of them." said Magnus. "But there is a bright side to this. Were it not for you, we would have been done for."

"And I have been unconscious for how long?"

"Nearly a month." answered Snotlout. "Your coma lasted longer than we thought."

Hiccup's eyes gazed with disbelief upon hearing Snotlout's words. 'This could not be real' he thought to himself, and yet it somehow was. He was out and cold for nearly a month? What happened during the time he was out?

The lad grunted, giving off a dreaded look. "Wait- What about Ivar?" he questioned."He still survived the battle! If I've been out for almost a month then- then has he been doing? What if he's been regathering his strength?! We need to pursue him and-"

As Hiccup attempted to get on his feet, Stoick easefully and lightly pushed his hand against him - preventing him from standing. "Easy, Son." he said as he patted and rubbed his shoulder. "You need to rest and not worry for right now. Ivar is not going anywhere, and unless he made a move, we would know."

"He's right." said Sigurd. "Our scouts have been keeping an eye on him and Kattegat for some time now, and from what we know, he is cornered like a rat. He's holled up, unable to go anywhere."

"And what about me?" Hiccup asked. "Why am _I_ unable to go anywhere? What is it that you don't want me to see if I can't just-"

As the young Viking flipped the covers of his bedroll off him, he looked down at his feet and nearly lost his voice. He sat there in silence with everyone in the tent giving sympathetic looks for the lad, and as he moved both legs out of bed, he could see a better view of both his feet. Or rather just his right foot.

Hiccup saw that he no longer had a left foot, and in its place was a metal prosthetic.

"W- What happened..." Hiccup said, shuddering.

Astrid who stood nearby came closer to the young Viking, sitting criss-cross at his level to try and comfort him. She let out a sigh, shaking her head before lightly grabbing ahold of his right hand.

"When Toothless saved you from the explosion that nearly engulfed you, he unfortunately could not save your left foot in time. It was incinerated in the wave of fire. I'm sorry Hiccup, I wish that we could have-"

"It's fine, Astrid." he replied, looking down at his prosthetic. "As long as I can still walk, I will probably be fine with it… now please, help me up. I want to see if I can walk."

"Hiccup, are you sure? You do need rest after all."

"I'm positive. Now help me up."

Astrid nodded, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as Hiccup made an effort to straighten himself out and stand up. Eventually, he was up on both his foot and prosthetic.

"Make room for him, everyone. He needs to at least try." said Stoick.

Everyone in tent quickly spreaded out as soon as Hiccup was up. Astrid then gently backed up from him as her arm slipped off from around his shoulders, giving the room for him to start walking.

"Alright. Give it a go." she said. "I'll follow from behind and catch you incase you fall. Don't worry."

Hiccup nodded, taking in a few light inhales of air before deeply exhaling. With a slow effort, he took a step forward with his prosthetic first, all while hoping that he would not slip and fall.

The first step was a success.

Slowly but surely Hiccup continued his way forward towards the entrance of the tent, going step by step and not rushing himself as Astrid followed him from behind. When he was close to the flap of the tent, he increased his pacing a little bit, and as soon as he exited the tent he suddenly slipped and fell...

"Hiccup!"

However, something broke his fall.

Immediately he felt himself land on something scaly which rose up to catch him, and upon looking down he noticed that he fell on top of the familiar black-scaled head of his best friend. It was Toothless.

The Night Fury looked up at Hiccup, giving the lad a gummy smile as he helped him up.

"Toothless!" Hiccup grinned, standing back up. "How are you doing, Bud? It's been a while since we saw each other…"

…

* * *

Though it took some time for Hiccup to adapt to, he eventually started getting the hang of his prosthetic. With every step he took, it became easier and easier for him to walk, and as the remaining pain slowly passed it just made it all the better for him.

Despite what he thought about it though, his main concern was his hunger and hydration. As well as possibly Ivar.

As soon as the group left the tent, Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus and Toothless were eventually the only ones left.

The three Vikings then sat by the nearby table, sitting silence with only the soft rain and light rolling thunder to accompany them.

"So, what happened while I was gone?" Hiccup asked as he sipped from his cup of water. "Surely there has been much that has changed during my coma?"

"There has." nodded Magnus. "Though if you really want to talk about Ivar, let's just say that there's nowhere else for him to go. His dream of a Viking empire has fallen apart, and his Great Army is no more. It's just him, his Völsung Clan, and a hundred Jomsviking bodyguards at his side standing between us."

"I see." Hiccup replied. "So how many in total does he have?

"Half the amount of men we have." answered Astrid as she leaned in her chair, gripping her hands together. "After months of fighting him, he is finally outmatched and outnumbered. His chances of winning this war are zero."

"As far as we also know, Ivar has no chance of receiving reinforcements." Magnus added on. "We've recently intercepted some of his messengers returning with letters from far away Slavic and Germanic Tribes, as well as other Viking Clans. They all rejected Ivar's offer for making an alliance."

"Hm. It looks like our efforts against him have spread far and wide around Europe." Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "Though… there is something that concerns me."

"What is it?" asked Astrid.

"Well the thing is… Ivar wasn't the one who built his Dragon army, but rather someone else gave it to him. Unfortunately, I don't remember who it was off the top of my head, but whoever Ivar got help from must have been the catalyst for breaking the Red Death. I mean- does it not seem strange to you that Ivar somehow found a way to control the Red Death within just a month?"

"What are you saying?" asked Magnus. "That Ivar had the help of an outside force who already knew how to control the Dragons, and that they gave him the necessary knowledge needed to do so?"

Hiccup gave a nod. "Exactly.., but until we deal with Ivar we shouldn't worry too much about it. Right now the question is; how can we surround him? The only way we can do it is if we attack both the main gate by sea, and the rear gate by land - and yet we don't have a fleet to make landfall."

"Well consider yourself lucky." replied Astrid. "Magnus and I spoke with the other Chieftains during the time you were unconscious, and together we were able to put our resources into building a new fleet to use against Ivar. It will also be the same fleet that will take us home."

"Indeed." said Magnus. "...Now, if we're settled on this matter then you'll have to excuse me. I have to go see how Eira and our child are doing. She is still pregnant after all."

"If you must, then go on ahead." responded Hiccup, gesturing in approval to the older Viking as he made his way out of the tent and out in the rainy day. This left Hiccup alone with Astrid and Toothless who laid in the corner, sleeping.

Hiccup chuckled, staring at his Dragon. "First time he sees me again in a month and he's already sleeping. I guess he's bored already."

"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" Astrid giggled as she leaned closer to Hiccup.

"Nay, milady." Hiccup replied jokingly with a Nordic accent. "Still though, I will say it is good to see you again."

Astrid stood from her chair with a smirk on her face, making her way closer to Hiccup as she offered him a hand. "Want to take a walk?"

"Eh, wouldn't hurt now would it?"

She chuckled in response to his answer, but still Hiccup gladly accepted her hand as he lifted himself up from his chair. Instead of immediately taking off however, the two Vikings idly stood there in silence, holding each other's hands while staring back at one another.

Astrid smiled. "You know I missed you."

"I missed you too." Hiccup smiled back.

Although it was a little bit dramatic and embarrassing, the two Vikings found themselves leaning their heads closer until their foreheads were touching, and yet they didn't stop there. Their lips then moved towards one another until they met with a quick yet loving kiss that almost made their stomachs flutter.

As soon as they separated however, the sight of Toothless from the corner of their eyes caught their attention as the Night Fury stood there looking at them, giving a bewildered expression.

The two of them responded with a light laughter from Toothless' expression, and as the Dragon stepped closer to his rider, he lightly nudged Hiccup with his head.

"Alright, Bud." Hiccup chuckled. "...Do you want to come with us?"

…

* * *

The only thing that described Kattegat was one simple was word. Chaotic.

There were screams and shouting throughout parts of the city. Under Ivar's orders, the Jomsvikings and Völsung warriors rummaged through the town, busting into every hut and home - and restraining and arresting any man, woman and child that they could find, not caring what they said. Anyone who resisted however was immediately slain and executed without question.

It was clear that Kattegat was no longer what it once was. The city was now a fortress overrun by Vikings that marched around every corner, and with Ivar at the head of it all - the people viewed him as a tyrant. The walls of the city were fortified with wood and iron, making it impossible to get in and out, and the Great Hall now towered over the rest of Kattegat like it was a large stronghold.

As the Jomsvikings and Völsung Vikings swept through the city, Ivar sat on his throne in the Great Hall whilst sipping wine from his drinking horn. He grinned wickedly as he leaned back in his seat.

Before him stood six of his Völsung commanders who all had uncertain looks on their faces, wondering what their supposed God and Boy-King had to say to them.

"My lord Ivar." said one of the commanders. "You called for us. Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all." chuckled Ivar. "However, the reason I summoned you here is to ask about the messengers I sent out. Have any of them returned yet?"

The commanders all shook their heads, giving slightly embarrassed expressions. "We haven't received a single one so far, lord Ivar." another commander spoke. "After all the damage that Hiccup Haddock has done to us, he's made us look weak and unsuited for leading other Clans and Tribes. We think he's-"

"Hiccup is dead, you fool." Ivar interrupted, slamming his hand against the arm of his throne. "From what I am hearing from you, you are presuming that he is still alive, and yet you have no proof."

"But what about the Red Death, my God-King?" one of the shieldmaiden commanders asked. "A month has almost passed by and that thing hasn't returned. Do you think Haddock has perhaps killed it?"

"Hmm… that is a good point." Ivar said, placing a fist on the side of his head. "But destroying the Red Death would also mean destroying himself. A single blast through its mouth is it's only weakness, but it would also cause a huge explosion that would incinerate _anyone_ nearby. However, if it is truly the case that the Red Death indeed is dead, then that means so is Hiccup."

"Now then. Would any of you like to drink to our victory?"

Before anyone could respond however, the doors to the Great Hall immediately bursted opened as nine Völsung guards came marching in with three men in their grasp, bound in chains. They were civilians.

"My lord Ivar!" the captain of the group called out.

Ivar let out a sigh. He immediately stood from his throne, placing his drinking horn aside before walking forward with ease towards the captain and his men. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

The captain and his men stopped before the Chieftain, pushing the three civilians down on their knees in front of him. "We caught them. They've been trying to raise a rebellion in the town against your rule. They say they refuse to be taken prisoner like all the others."

"Is that so?" he asked. "And who among you three fools have the audacity to stand against someone like me - a God. Hm?"

The three men did not speak. They merely looked up at Ivar, glaring angrily as if they wanted to tackle him and beat him to death. Being bound by chains however, they were useless.

Ivar took a few steps towards the centermost civilian, kneeling down to get his attention. "You." he said, whistling before swiftly back-handing the man across the face. "What is your name?"

The man stayed silent. He only stared back at Ivar with the same look of hatred, not caring about what he had to say.

Ivar grinned wickedly. "Ah… you must be the leader, eh?" he questioned curiously. "Tell me, why do you stand against your King? Against your God? ...Though then again, you are no longer Völsung. Only the warriors who followed me into battle against our enemy deserve the title of being Viking and Völsung. You and all of those people are just slaves to me now."

"...However," he said as his expression changed, slightly smirking. "Seeing as how you had the courage to stand up against me, I offer you three a chance to redeem yourselves for who you are. Lower the plow, and take up the axe. Become a Viking, and I will restore your status as Völsung once more. Hm? How does that sound?"

The civilian responded to Ivar unexpectedly by spitting blood in his face, but as he did, the guards immediately rose the man to his feet and punched him in the stomach - knocking the air out of him.

Ivar chuckled as he stood to his feet, glancing between his guards and the three civilians.

"...Hang them, outside the prisons, and let them be shown to the people as a warning to those who dare stand up against me."

The guards without a word obliged, forcing the civilians to their feet as they quickly began dragging them away, with their screams and shouting filling up the Great Hall. As soon as they were out of sight, Ivar looked back at his commanders - gesturing them to leave as they too swiftly made their way out of the Hall.

"Hatred must never take the place of love!" he boasted. "...Then again, why be loved when you can be feared?"


	78. No More Of It

**I could not wait to make and post this chapter, so I decided to make it in a quicker amount of time than usual, and thus here we are!**

 **Although this chapter is slightly shorter than what I would usually post, I will say that you guys are in for quite a treat.**

 **Also just as a side note, if anyone who receives notifications for this story sees that they got a notification twice for this chapter, it is because yesterday from today that this is posted I tried to upload it - but the story would not update nor show this chapter, so I removed it and reposted it today.**

 **Anyways, please enjoy!**

* * *

"So, this is the aftermath of the battle with Ivar?" Hiccup asked, staring down at the ruined field from atop the plateau's cliffs.

Astrid gave a nod, running her eyes across the battle-torn scarred area. "The Red Death and the Great Army left much in ruin. The fields they burnt are beyond healing, and the bodies that littered the area are just bones now. As for the Dragons we fought, they all eventually regained their consciousness and flew off in random directions - freed from the Red Death."

"Well, at least they're alive so that's good to know."

"Yeah." she replied, looking back at him. "Still, even with our victory the war is not yet over. Kattegat is the final obstacle between us and Ivar, not to mention that we'll have to go through two thousand Vikings to reach him."

"I could try flying over the city with Toothless to get to him." said Hiccup, glancing back at the Dragon who sat near them looking over the horizon. "Though then again, I would be spotted by every warrior and guard in Kattegat. Even without their Devastators, they would do whatever it would take to shoot me down."

"Then we'll have to break into the city first before you can reach him. They'll be focused on us rather than you."

"If only it were that simple." Hiccup chuckled as his look became more serious. "From what my Dad and Magnus tells me, Ivar has turned Kattegat into a fortress. Their walls have been fortified and reinforced ever since I left, so the only way we could possibly get in is by breaking down the front gate and making a breach in the wall."

"As for Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd..." he continued. "Their warriors should have no problem against Ivar's forces at the rear gate. They fought alongside him in the past, so they should know his strategies."

"Alright." Astrid said, lightly sighing. "Seems good to me. But what about you and Toothless?"

"We'll stick together for the whole battle." he said, once more looking back at Toothless. "Ain't that right, Bud?"

Toothless stared back at Hiccup, warbling as he let out a light huff of air from his nostrils. Clearly he was eager and willing to follow his rider - no matter where he went, and to this Hiccup grinned.

"That's the spirit, Toothless." he chuckled.

" _Hiccup."_

A voice from behind suddenly caught Hiccup's attention which caused him to nearly jump, but as he turned around he saw his father and Gobber approach him.

"Gods, Dad." gasped Hiccup.. "You nearly scared the Hel out of me."

"My bad, Son." said Stoick. "Gobber and I only came here because we want to show you something that you might like... Also, Gobber made it for both you and Toothless, so it's his work."

"Really?"

"Aye." replied Gobber. "Ye will need it fer tha final battle, but I'm certain tha' ye'll like it."

Hiccup looked back at Astrid with anticipation, but she gave a nod and lightly nudged him to go on ahead. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

…

* * *

The three Vikings along with Toothless walked underneath the Blacksmithing tent, and as Hiccup glanced around his attention immediately turned to Gobber who held something with both his arms behind his back.

"What is it?" he asked.

Gobber glanced at Stoick, giving a slightly embarrassed gaze. "Eh… why don't ye tell 'em? I'm bad when it comes ta speeches."

Stoick nodded, clearing his throat as he turned his head back to Hiccup. "Son… As you know, after the battle with the Red Death - you lost not only your foot, but also the prosthetic that allowed you and Toothless to fly together. During the time of your coma, Gobber has been working hard on getting both you and Toothless back on your feet and wings. So…"

He then motioned with his hand to Gobber, and as the blonde Viking slowly reached his arms out from behind his back both Hiccup and Toothless gave surprised but delightful looks as he revealed what he was holding.

It was a new prosthetic tail fin for Toothless.

Hiccup's eyes gazed down at the red and white colored flap, nearly jaw dropped from how well sewn and made it was. Along with that, the structure of the base and pedal of the prosthetic was improved, though Hiccup saw that he could clearly make a few of his own tweaks to make it a bit more better.

"I hope ye're satisfied. I worked really hard on this ta get it as close ta tha original as possible. Do ya think it'll do?"

"It's more than I could have imagined, Gobber." smiled Hiccup as he gratefully grabbed ahold of it. "Honestly- just… thank you."

"Aye, but tha's not all I have ta show ye." he said, pointing his prosthetic towards the corner of the tent. "There's one last thing tha' ye have ta see. It's fer ye."

Hiccup arched a brow, placing the fin aside and following his eyes from where Gobber pointed. In the corner of the tent was a table with a brown woolen fabric covering the item that laid underneath it. Although he was curious, he still made his way across the room of the tent until he was standing before the covers. Immediately he pulled them off, and as he stared down at what laid before him he was beyond surprised. Rather, he was nearly speechless.

On the table laid not just his blade which was recovered after the battle, but as well as a new set of black armor with brown leathering that was more professionally designed. What was especially more noticeable was the red skull on the right shoulder pad.

"W- Wow." Hiccup said, running his hand across the newly made armor. "This looks amazing… Gobber, how did you-?"

"Pfft, don't thank me laddie." replied Gobber. "Tha' armor is a gift from Magnus. He made it fer ye since yer other set was wrecked after tha battle. This time he made it more professional than tha' last, but he believes ye can make adjustments ta it. After all, it is yers."

"Aye, Magnus is quite the crafty one." Hiccup complimented, still grinning at the sight of the new armor. "I also think it matches well with Toothless and his tail fin… Honestly though, I don't know what to say to Magnus. I should go and thank him."

"Or you can thank me right now. At least, that's if you want to." Magnus chuckled.

Hiccup turned around upon hearing his voice, looking back at Magnus as he walked into the tent with a smile on his face. Clearly he was not just proud of the work he put into the armor, but he was also delighted to see that Hiccup was liking it.

The older Viking approached Hiccup, placing a hand on the lad's shoulder as he gave him a pat. "I wanted to give you something that would help you for the final fight to come." he said. "Seeing that your old armor was wrecked, I salvaged what I could from it and made a new set for you along with different material. This armor is more professional. It has better durability, flexibility, and it's also lighter."

"Wow." grinned Hiccup. "I mean just- thanks, Magnus... When do you think I'll be able to test it out in battle?"

"That's your decision." answered Stoick.

Hiccup looked up at him, arching a brow. "Hm? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying that you decide when we should march out and begin sailing to Kattegat. If you didn't know, the Chieftains and I have already agreed that we should start tomorrow, but only if you approve of it. Though seeing as you still need to recover, maybe we should hold it off until you're-"

"Let it be tomorrow, then." Hiccup said, turning back towards his armor. "If everyone else is eager and willing to march out to deal with Ivar once and for all, then I say we should do it. My decisions may come first, but our people's wishes are priority."

"Hiccup, are you sure about this?" asked Magnus.

"I'm certain, Magnus… Now if you can, please help me get into this armor. Dad, Gobber, please help Toothless with his prosthetic. I need to address the Riders so that they know what's about to happen. We have a long night of preparing ahead of us…"

…

* * *

 _ **Two days later...**_

"That's the only message he sent to us, my God-King." the Völsung commander before him said. "We've tried getting into contact with him a dozen times now, but there hasn't been any response from him."

Ivar sat on his throne in the Great Hall, hearing out his commander who had information regarding Drago.

"And you are certain that Drago Bludvist himself cut off all contact with us?" he asked her. "And that he himself sent a message before all of this which was _"You have already lost"_ to us?"

The shield maiden gave a nod. "That's what the letter read. After discussing with the other commanders, we've come to believe that Drago has betrayed us, my lord Ivar. He has abandoned us and left us on our own."

Ivar nearly froze as he heard those words. _Betrayed_ and _abandoned_. His hands began to tighten up into fists, and as he stood from his throne he turned around and out of anger violently punched the wall behind him, roaring and shouting in anger before turning around and looking down.

"DAMN YOU, DRAGO!" he bellowed. "Were it not for him... I could have won this war A LONG TIME AGO! HE TOOK MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM NORWAY SO THAT HICCUP COULD DESTROY MY GREAT ARMY! THAT SON OF A-"

Ivar immediately cut himself off. He looked back at the commander who stared up at him, shocked and almost frightened by his reaction. The Viking King let out a wavy and breathy sigh as he straightened himself out.

"Inform the other commanders to prepare our ships..." he said. "We're going to pillage the Archipelago down to the last coin, and kill any who stand in our path, even if we encounter Drago! No prisoners this time!"

"But my God-King, do we even have the men to-"

"Their warriors are amateur to us!" interrupted Ivar, grabbing ahold of his bullhook that laid against his throne. "There is nothing they can do while I am leading the charge. I will capture every island until the whole bloody Archipelago is under my dominion! I will-!"

It was then that the doors to the Great Hall suddenly bursted opened as Ivar's commanders along with ten Jomsvikings came rushing in with tense and shocked expressions on their faces, almost as if they had seen something horrible.

"Ah, my commanders!" Ivar announced, making his way forward to them. "You came here just in time! I want you all to spread the order to our warriors to prepare our fleet and make ready to sail out. We are going to-"

"We can't, my God-King!" one of them spoke. "The river is blocked!"

Ivar's expression immediately changed as his jaw slightly dropped in confusion. "What?" he asked. "C- Can you explain what you mean by that? You said it was blocked, and yet I ask… WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT IS BLOCKED!?"

"There are over a hundred longships sailing to Kattegat, my lord Ivar! All carrying the colors of the Archipelago Tribes!" replied another commander. "Along with that, we spotted the banners of the Grey Raven and Battleborn Clans marching towards the Eastern wall, both being led by your brothers! We're completely surrounded, my lord!"

"Hiccup…"

The name instinctively and suddenly muttered under his breath as he looked at his commanders with a surprised expression of realization. It was clear to him that Hiccup was still alive despite his beliefs of him being dead, and to this, he felt his stomach sink and churn whilst thinking of him.

"Prepare the Eastern and Western walls. Gather our warriors, and get them ready for a siege! I will NOT be defeated today!"

…

* * *

Hiccup gripped his gauntlets, tightening them as he stretched himself out in his new black armor, ready and waiting for the fight ahead all while he, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, and the Twins stared towards their destination from their longship.

As they were sailing, the sun above them shined and beamed onto them all whilst the skies gave off an almost golden-like color as if Odin, the mighty Allfather himself, recognized who the victor of the final battle was going to be.

It was a sight they had not seen in months ever since they left Berk.

Hiccup tilted his head up, looking towards the sky with the wind blowing in his face as he muttered "May the Allfather watch over us…" before turning around to face the rest of the fleet that followed behind him, along with the remaining Dragon riders of Berk that flew above them.

The Tribes all stood silent, waiting for something to happen as they continued sailing towards Kattegat which laid ahead of them. The city by now was aware of their presence, and thus the battle horns around the fortified town were loudly blowing and being sounded.

As Hiccup gazed over the army of Archipelago Vikings, his eyes instinctively wandered down towards the group that stood with him. Stoick, Magnus, Eira, Gobber, Astrid, and the Riders all looked up at him, awaiting what he had to say.

Even Toothless, Stormfly, Thorwind and the rest of the Dragons were waiting for something to happen as they stared at him.

Stoick approached his son, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's time, Hiccup." he said with a nod. "Let them hear what you have to say."

Hiccup turned to face the front of the longship, gesturing for Toothless to follow before walking towards the front end of the deck until he was in sight for everyone to see. They all looked at him in anticipation, curious of what he had to say.

The young lad let out a light breath of air before looking back at them. And then he began to speak.

"WARRIORS!" he announced. "VIKINGS! Tribes of the Archipelago! After all of the struggles that we have gone through - all of the hardships and challenges, our combined efforts have at last led to this one final moment! Our nemesis, that maniac Ivar, lays held up in Kattegat behind his walls like a coward! However, today is the day that we will put an end to him and his tyranny! And although it won't be easy…"

"...It's still worth giving our lives if that's what it takes to stop him! To free not just ourselves, but as well as those who suffered as result of this war that has gone on for long enough! I say no more of this! _NO MORE_ running! _NO MORE_ hiding! _NO MORE_ cowering! _NO, MORE!_ TODAY, WE FIGHT!"

Hiccup took ahold his fiery sword from it's sheath, raising it up high. Toothless responded by letting out a roar which made the other Dragons roar as well, and what followed was massive cheering that immediately blasted all around Hiccup as the Vikings of the Archipelago bellowed out their battle cries and unsheathed their weapons in unison.

They made ready for the inevitable, and the stakes could not be higher.

Even Astrid and the Riders were cheering, ready to give Ivar what he deserved.

Hiccup looked back at Stoick and Magnus, giving them a nod as they both nodded back at him.

He then turned around to face back towards Kattegat, raising his sword up even higher for all to see.

"ALL SHIPS, FULL SAIL! WE END THIS WAR TODAY! NO MORE!"

* * *

 **The final battle begins next chapter...**


	79. The Final Showdown - Part I

**I could not wait to do this! After spending the past two days of work on this chapter it is finally here! The final showdown! The battle that will end the war!**

 **Before beginning, I would recommend for you guys to put on some headphones, and listen to some epic cinematic/battle music to give a better reading experience.** **If anything, I would suggest listening to Peter Crowley - Rise of the Dragons for this one.**

 **Now then, without further ado let us begin the final battle! Please enjoy!**

* * *

Clouds began to roll in from above, and tension was high between both sides.

The two armies stood far from each other, with Hiccup and his allies being many yards away from the main wall, and Ivar and his forces being positioned on top of the wall itself - ready to fire down all they could onto their foe, though it was clear to Hiccup that he and his allies would be going up against what was the larger half of Ivar's army.

It was fifteen hundred of their Vikings against fifteen hundred Völsung Vikings, but that was not all they had.

In the very back of the ranks of their large force, the Dragon riders of Berk and their Dragons stood waiting in anticipation, numbered in over a hundred and fifty riders, ready to fly off into battle.

This made Hiccup's allies have slightly more, but either way, the battle would still be tough.

Seeing how everyone was now accounted for, Hiccup looked back at his father and friends who stood beside him and gave them a nod, receiving nods back from them.

"It's time, Hiccup." Astrid said, running her hand along the side of Stormfly's head. "Let's begin this final battle."

Hiccup looked back, motioning with his hand towards Toothless to follow as he began making his way forward. The Night Fury gladly obliged and went forth with Hiccup, glaring down Ivar and his Jomsviking bodyguards who stood from afar.

After a dozen or so steps, Hiccup was in full view of the enemy army. He gazed onto Ivar, giving almost the same dark nightly look that his Dragon gave. As his eyes continued staring, his hand fell onto the hilt of his weapon - gripping it tightly and unsheathing it. After a moment passed, he bellowed out one name that everyone around could hear.

"IVAR!"

The name slipped out of his mouth, and after yelling out his name it was then that the ranks of warriors and maidens behind Hiccup began to get riled up. Their weapons danced in the air as they started to taunt the enemy, and before long they were screaming and shouting out their war cries, trying to mock their foe.

Ivar looked down at this without much of a surprise. He chuckled, grinning wickedly at the sight of the Archipelago Vikings attempting to taunt him into attacking, though he would attack either way.

He looked back at the men who stood beside him, giving them a nod. "Let's get this over with..." he said. "ARCHERS, KNOT YOUR ARROWS! CATAPULTS, LOAD!"

The order quickly started to spread along the main wall. As the archers knotted their arrows onto the strings of their bows, the catapults were loaded up with boulders covered in tar that were lit with bright fire.

Before Hiccup knew it however, the main gates to Kattegat suddenly opened, and flooding out of it came many Völsung warriors and maidens who quickly moved to form a shield wall - positioned many feet from the walls where Ivar stood. From how Hiccup could see it, the shield wall had at least a thousand or so Völsung Vikings.

He sighed, grabbing ahold of Toothless' saddle before flying up so that the Archipelago Tribes behind him could all see him. But it was then that he rose his fiery blade up, and swiftly swung it down.

"EVERYONE, WITH ME! CHARGE!"

The Vikings of the Archipelago roared in unison, and as soon as Hiccup and Toothless let out their first plasma blast on the enemy, the charge began.

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather and the Twins along with Magnus, Gobber, and the riders of Berk mounted onto their Dragons, flying forward with all haste as their allies below them begun a massive charge - running forward with all they had.

Ivar grinned as his enemy charged him. The Warsung, the Outcasts, Berserkers, Meatheads, Defenders, Bog's Burglars, Trappers, Thunderheads and Northlanders; all of them charged in great unity with Hiccup, Stoick and the Tribe of Berk at the head of it all.

The Viking King rose his hand, looking back at his men. "ARCHERS! LOOSE!"

The two hundred archers on the wall let their arrows fly, launching them towards Hiccup's allies. Most of the arrows surprisingly found their targets, but they did not get as many as anticipated. Instead, only fifty or so Vikings fell before the large volley, but even that did not stop the charge.

Ivar grumbled, lifting his hand up once again. "ARCHERS! FIRE AT WILL!"

The Völsung archers immediately began firing at will, letting their arrows fly whenever they could. But as the Tribes got closer, their aim had started to become less precise due to the fact that their troops were in the line of fire.

Stoick who helped lead the charge rose his axe, leaping up in the air as he gave it all he had. With one strike, he managed to open up a gap in the shield wall for merely a split second and send three Völsung Vikings flying back, each of whom were bloody from the grievous wound the strong Chieftain made.

The shield wall however was quickly reformed, and as Stoick was about to land another strike he saw from around him all of the Tribes clash in with the enemy, officially beginning the fight that would finally dictate the outcome of the war.

"FOR BERK!" he shouted.

From above however, it seemed things were about to get hot and become painful for the enemy.

Magnus lightly chuckled as his Skrill lit up with electricity along his body. "HEADS UP!" he shouted.

Thorwind let out a bellowing roar, and with his body charged with electricity he let out a powerful beam of lightning onto the archers on the wall, hitting more than a dozen of them with one strike, including a group of defending warriors. But that was just the beginning.

Soon came in Hiccup and Toothless along with Astrid and the Riders on their Dragons, thus things were about to become serious.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless. "Plasma blast, Bud! Give 'em all you got!"

Toothless let out a growl, lighting his mouth up before aiming towards the wall at a cluster of warriors who as a matter of fact were near Ivar.

The Völsung Chieftain tilted his head away as Toothless launched his plasma blast, causing nearly two dozen warriors to go flying off the walls in flames - as well as destroying one of the catapults.

Ivar turned his head back towards the battlefield, and down below he could see that his foe was slowly starting to push. They fought through the shield wall whilst the riders of Berk and their Dragons blasted the enemy away, causing many to split from the wall and fight in the open. Ivar knew it was time to even the scales.

He raised his arms, looking back at his catapults. "CATAPULTS! BURN THEM ALIVE!"

Almost immediately, the siege machines launched their fiery boulders onto the allied army. As they went flying, Stoick was keen enough to notice them coming, and quickly he looked towards his allies and the other Chieftains, motioning with his weapon to brace.

"EVERYONE, SPREAD OUT AND BRACE YOURSELVES!"

The Tribes were instantly forced to spread out to lessen their chances of getting hit, but even with their strategy it was not enough to dodge them. The fiery boulders came crashing in, rolling onto their ranks and setting them on fire as they burnt and screamed to the hot flames.

From how Hiccup and Stoick saw it, at least one hundred warriors took the volley - and none of them survived.

"That pyromaniac!" spat Stoick.

Hiccup grunted, looking back at the others. "Astrid, Fishlegs, take out their catapults! Burn them to cinders and show them how we really heat things up!"

The two Vikings nodded, maneuvering their Dragons to fly towards the walls with speed. Knowing however that they would be exposed to the enemy's archers, they devised a plan.

As Astrid flew along the wall, she grabbed the enemy's attention by having Stormfly launch spine shots from her tail, which effectively pierced through the limbs of any archer who was unfortunate to get hit, all whilst she made advanced evasive maneuvers to dodge their shots. Their arms and legs were impaled with Nadder spines, and the pain in turn just slowed them down as blood seeped from their wounds.

This however gave room for Stormfly to fire as she breathed her magnesium flames onto the enemy, burning them alive just as how their catapults did to their allies.

"Good work, Stormfly!" said Astrid. "Now let's get them intimidated!"

While Astrid fought and distracted the enemy efficently Fishlegs and Meatlug flew as fast as they could along the wall - targeting down catapults which were still firing boulder after boulder onto their allies from afar, as well as shooting down riders from the skies. Surprisingly, Meatlug's lava blasts were extremely destructive to the weapons when it came to their impact. Every lava blast she spewed, the catapults would blow into smithereens which in turn set blasted away the engineers.

One by one they destroyed the catapults until nothing was left, and considering the damage they had already done - the timing could not have been any better.

In total, two dozen Berkian riders suffered from the catapult fire - as well as a hundred more Vikings. This as a result caused the Völsung to break their shield wall, and for the fight to spread out across the battlefield with Vikings on both sides battling one another in small and large groups.

Hiccup saw the opportunity now laid before him, and he decided now was the time to turn the tide. He looked towards the Riders and rose his voice up for them to hear.

"ALL RIDERS, FOCUS ON THE FIELD!" he shouted. "Let's blast them away!"

What followed was a fireworks show from the Dragon Riders and the riders of Berk. Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, and the group all flew their Dragons across the area, attacking the enemy left right and center. Their Dragons gave the enemy all they had, breathing down their flames, sending bolts of fire towards them with dim colors, and as well as picking them up off the ground and sending them flying up into the air like toys. Like they were nothing.

The intensity of the battle from the Dragons started causing fires to burn across the field, for dirt and smoke to fly in the face of the enemy, and even make the Völsung Vikings become intimidated from the whole situation. If anything, it was too much - way too much, and they did not know whether they could hold it for any longer.

The Dragon Riders however were in a way having a great time.

Hiccup along with Toothless launched plasma blasts after plasma blasts, almost forgetting about the shot limit that Toothless had. To the Dragon, it was almost as if it did not matter. It felt like he could fight with ease as he flew through the air, making dive-bombs on the enemy and sending them flying back from the impacts of his attacks. His speed especially was unmatched for the enemy, and not even an arrow could hit him.

Magnus and Thorwind were a pair who were unlike any other, just like with Hiccup and Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly, and the rest of the Riders. The Skrill unleashed beams and bolts of lightning onto multiple foes at a time, almost as if he was infused with the power of Thor himself. His attacks were lethal, and his speed was close to that of Toothless'.

All the while they flew however, Magnus made life more difficult for the Völsung, dropping flame-lit flasks filled with tar onto the enemy which as a result caused exploding bursts of fire, lighting them up and quickly taking them out as if they were wood and parchment.

Astrid and Stormfly both worked as one. The two almost shared the same mind-set, flying through the air as they made advanced maneuvers and attacks that not even a single warrior could counter. At times, she jumped off her Dragon when she neared the ground, slicing down a Viking or two before Stormfly came flying back down to pick her up, and she would leap back onto her.

Astrid chuckled, looking back. "That's gonna leave a mark!"

As for Snotlout and Hookfang, they both used their anger and swift reactions as a means to make the enemy flee in sight of the Monstrous Nightmare. With Snotlout's guidance, Hookfang flew passed and around groups of enemies with his body lit up, causing them to either spread or group up before breathing down on them to deal the most amount of damage possible.

All while they flew, Snotlout chanted in delight. "SNOTLOUT! SNOTLOUT! OI OI OI!"

His father from afar noticed this, and smirked at the sight of his son who was shockingly dealing more damage to the enemy than he was. "Haha, that's my boy!"

For Fishlegs and Meatlug, although they were slow, they both still took their attacks from the enemy as if they were a shield that was stronger than any. To make up for the lack of speed however, they used mobility as their greatest weapon. This allowed both the Gronckle and her rider to attack their foe from almost every side - no matter what. Along with that, Meatlug even began to bash the enemy with her tail, almost as if it was a giant mace.

For the Twins however, both of them along with Barf and Belch were flying about crazyily over the enemy. If anything, all they cared about was blowing them up rather than just going for straight up tactics. There were walls of flames, huge bonfires, and so forth with whatever they could manage to deal. Whatever the case however, their efforts too were paying off with all of the others.

If anything however, things were starting to look bad for the enemy.

Ivar saw from atop the wall how his forces were beginning to get torn apart. Many fell before the Tribes of Vikings that fought below, and more fell to the Dragons like tissue paper. As a whole, the situation was not looking good.

"This can't be happening!" he said to himself. "I can not lose today! DO YOU ALL NOT KNOW WHO I AM!? YOU CANNOT KILL ME! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM!? I AM IVAR THE BONELESS! I AM IVAR THE BONELESS!"

"YOU CANNOT KILL ME!"

"That seems really unlikely!" Hiccup called out from nearby.

As Ivar turned his head, he spotted Hiccup flying towards him in the distance, dropping onto the wall with Toothless and landing in front of him and his Jomsviking guards. Behind the lad however, the rest of the riders and their Dragons flew in place, glaring down Ivar who stood there growling.

"Did you really think you could win this one?!" he asked. "Look at what has become of your army, Ivar! You've led them to their doom - without loyalty or care! Can't you see? Behind me right here is what _we_ call loyalty and respect to one another! The loyalty of Dragons and Vikings as one in times of crisis - something you failed to see, and it is because of this that you have lost!"

Just as Ivar was about to respond, a commander from behind came climbing up the wall with haste - exhausted and bloody.

"My lord, Ivar!" the commander said. "The Eastern wall is about to be overrun! Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd have managed to breached the ramparts, and our men are fighting for their lives right now. We need support!"

Ivar let out a muffled sigh. He could even see from afar that the forces of the Archipelago too were ready to make a breach in the wall, especially since they were now climbing it. He looked back at his Jomsvikings and motioned with a hand towards half of them. "You fifty, go with the commander to the Western wall. The rest of you, stay here and fight! I have other things to attend to!"

"What? You can't escape me again, Ivar!" shouted Hiccup. "You have nowhere to run!"

"Neither do you, Slave! My Jomsviking guards will deal with you. KILL HIM!" he commanded, just before running off as he started his way towards the Great Hall.

As the Jomsvikings began to close in on Hiccup and Toothless however, it was then that the lad heard footsteps rushing towards him from behind. To his side came Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Heather, and the Twins - all with their weapons in hand and unsheathed.

"Let's make this a fair fight!" Astrid said before looking back at Hiccup. "Care for us to join in?"

"All fine by me." Hiccup said, spinning his fiery blade mockingly towards the Jomsvikings. "What are you waiting for, then? Come on!"

One of the Jomsviking guards grinned wickedly, eyeing Hiccup and Toothless. "Ivar's going to reward us dearly for bringing your head! JOMSVIKINGS, RUSH THEM!"

Though to the Jomsvikings it seemed like an easy fight, little they did know that it was already a losing battle for them.

The group's combined strength and skill was all too much. Hiccup was skilled with his sword and hasty in his movements, easily cutting down his foes - especially with the aid of Toothless who swung his tail at them like sport. Astrid was both strong and acrobatic, making decisive and effective attacks against her foes which led to a blood outcome. Magnus and Eira both had strength and precision, making extremely accurate and brutal moves against their enemy which resulted in striking them down effortlessly.

As for the others, Snotlout was both brave and bold when it came to fighting, something he did not understand for a long time until months ago, and through this he dealt blow after blow to the Jomsvikings. Fishlegs and Heather worked well as a couple, with Fishlegs using brute force and Heather relying on her swift skill with her double-bladed axe to get the job done. The Twins however were both crazy and aggressive, striking and double-teaming on the Jomsviking in an unthoughtful but effective strategy.

Overall as a result however, the Jomsvikings were quickly taken care of, and not a single one of them remained standing.

"Well then," said Heather. "That was rather quick. Now, maybe we should-"

A large booming sound suddenly cut her off. The group turned around and saw from behind that a part of the wall had exploded into rubble, sending small pieces of iron and wood flying out in all directions.

A breach was made, and the Tribes knew that now was the time to storm into Kattegat. Gobber quickly commanded the Berkian riders to bust down the gates with Dragon fire, and with one single volley it was torn down completely.

The Vikings cheered, storming into the city as they marched through the streets, ready to clean up Kattegat of any remaining Völsung warriors and as well as free it's people.

Hiccup now saw the opportunity. He looked back at Toothless, giving him a nod as he mounted atop the Dragon, putting his prosthetic and foot in place before flapping Toothless' prosthetic tail fin open.

"It's time." he said, looking back at the others. "If I do not do this now then I will never be given another chance. Ivar has to be dealt with once and for all, and this time he has nowhere to run. I will finish this, even if I have to lose another limb for it..."

"...Wish me luck. And stay safe, including you Astrid."

"You too. Good luck, Hiccup…" nodded Astrid, watching as Hiccup and Toothless quickly flew off, flying towards the large and towering Great Hall.

As he went off however, she instinctively moved her hand and placed it against her chest, giving off a soft sigh as she thought about what was about to go down between Hiccup and his former tormentor. It would be the final showdown.

"I love you, Hiccup…"

* * *

 **Next chapter: Hiccup Haddock versus Ivar the Boneless...**

 **To be continued...**


	80. The Final Showdown - Part II

**Here we are guys! The second and last part of the final showdown! This chapter, it is Hiccup versus Ivar, and I guarantee you that this fight is quite intense and suspenseful!**

 **As always with battles and fights like these, I highly recommend putting on headphones and listening to epic cinematic/battle music to improve your reading experience, because this one is going to be a real blast!**

 **Now, with my ramble out of the way, let us begin the chapter you guys have all longed for...**

* * *

The clouds above them grew darker, flashing with lightning and booming with thunder. Hiccup's eyes fell on the Great Hall that laid ahead of him, towering in the center of the city. He felt his stomach sink at the sight of it, knowing that there was no going back once he met face to face with Ivar.

"There's no doubt that he's at the very top." he said, glancing down at Toothless. "Land me on the roof, Bud."

Toothless obliged without much of a reaction as he silently flew towards the top of the Great Hall. Upon landing on the large roof, Hiccup dismounted and took a glance around, looking down below towards Kattegat. The city burnt, and from afar he could distinctively make out the figures of Völsung and Jomsviking remnants fighting with what they had left. Most likely no more than five hundred.

It was then however that a figure towards the center of the roof caught his attention. It was without a doubt Ivar.

The twenty year old Viking glared at Hiccup with a look of hatred, all whilst his figure darkened from the dim reflected lights of the fires burning down below. Still, Hiccup had a score to settle with Ivar.

Toothless growled as they both slowly walked towards one another, holding their weapons tightly in their hands.

"IVAR!" shouted Hiccup.

"SLAVE!" Ivar shouted back mockingly. "I see that you are all dressed up in new shining armor… and as well as missing a foot! _Poor_ thing, did my Red Death burn it off?!"

Hiccup gritted his teeth. "Why, Ivar!?" he asked. "Why would you waste so many lives just so you could try to kill me!? All of this loss, and for what, so that you could invincible!? So that you could rule the world with tyranny?! You have only shown the people that you are a maniac!"

"I showed the people who I really am!" spat Ivar. "I could have won this war long ago were it not for my weakness! And now- now you have destroyed EVERYTHING!"

"No, you destroyed yourself!" replied Hiccup. "Look around you! You're surrounded! Kattegat burns because of what you have done - which has led to this final moment, and now you are outmatched, outnumbered, and trapped!"

Ivar chuckled, spinning his bullhook as he pointed it at Hiccup. "I may be trapped, but you forget who is the higher deity here! I am a God unlike you or any of your horned-helmet Viking friends! The Gods have blessed me as one of their own!"

Hiccup shook his head, glancing between Toothless and Ivar. "Just because you can control a giant Dragon does not make you a God! Your stupidity has made even Odin look down upon you as nothing more than dishonorable! He wouldn't accept you into Valhalla even if you begged him. I wonder how your father Ragnar must be thinking about you, Boneless-!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU FOOL!" Ivar roared, interrupting Hiccup. "I am the TRUE son and heir of Ragnar Lothbrök, a Viking of legend that people have told stories about! And you, what do you think you are to them!? In my eyes, you are just a scrawny boy that deserves to be put in his place, back as a slave to torment until the end of days!"

The word _slave_ echoed in his head. It made Hiccup recall back to the days when he was a thrall, a nobody who was kicked around by so many. But even with Ivar attempting to remind Hiccup of who he was then, it did not affect how he felt because who he was _then_ did not define who he was _now._ If anything, Hiccup could hear the jealousy in Ivar's tone for how far he had gone.

"At least I was not a crazy cripple." Hiccup said back to him. "Nor a bloodthirsty Viking like you."

"A bloodthirsty Viking?" chuckled Ivar. "Do you even know the meaning of the word _Vikingir?_ It means to raid, and explore lands that are beyond our own! Even if this war ends and you return to a peaceful life, the word Viking will be nothing for you! As long as you stay idle on your island of Berk, you are not a Viking!"

"...Then again, you won't be staying idle here for long, now will you?"

Ivar gave a wicked grin. From down below in front of the Great Hall, the sounds of boots stomping and men shouting caught Hiccup's attention. A regiment of warriors were rushing towards the Hall, all armed and ready. Clearly Ivar had reinforcements prepared.

His eyes widened, realizing that he had to do something. He looked back at Toothless. "Deal with them, Bud. I'll take care of Ivar alone! Don't worry about me!"

Although Toothless refused to leave Hiccup's side, he clearly did not have a choice. This fight was Hiccup's, and Hiccup's alone. With a final light nudge to the young Viking, he ran towards the edge of the roof and glided his way off, flying down towards the men who were about to meet their doom at the hands of the Night Fury.

As soon as Toothless was out of sight, it was just Hiccup and Ivar left on the roof. Both Vikings stared at each other intensely, still pacing in circles across from each other as lightning crackled the skies, giving off an uneasy feeling to Hiccup from what was about to go down.

And then it happened.

Ivar let out a bellowing roar, charging Hiccup with his bullhook raised to which the young Viking himself responded by charging back at Ivar. Both their pairs of feet moved hastily, stomping hard against the wood, and as they were about to clash both Vikings suddenly leaped up into the air and lifted their weapons over their heads, and as their weapons finally hit one another - lightning immediately struck the sky, followed by a loud roar of thunder.

The fight to the death had now begun.

Ivar pushed against Hiccup's fiery sword, using his brutal strength in an attempt to quickly overrun the young Viking, but even with what he gave he surprisingly could not push Hiccup back. Both Vikings were equally matched.

Hiccup quickly responded by pulling his sword back in an arc, swinging Ivar's bullhook to the side to get him exposed before quickly striking at the Völsung Chieftain. However, Ivar quickly reacted by blocking Hiccup's attack before trying to strike back, but Hiccup would not let down his assault.

He continued swinging his sword at Ivar, making him step back with every attack whilst Ivar too struck back at Hiccup, resulting in him also stepping back from every strike.

This went on for a little while, until Hiccup leaped back from one of Ivar's attack and spun around him to strike from the left. His blade came swinging down, but Ivar anticipated his move. Immediately he switched hands with his bullhook, blocking Hiccup's attack from the left as he tilted his head to face him, smirking wickedly.

"Such a hasty one, aren't you?" he asked. "Unfortunately, you are too hasty!"

It was then that Hiccup suddenly felt Ivar's weapon hit his legs hard, knocking him down on his back. Seeing the opportunity, Ivar pressed the advantage and struck his bullhook down onto Hiccup while he was flat on his back. But instead of hitting him, he only stabbed the base of his bullhook through the wooden floor of the roof.

Hiccup had rolled around Ivar before he could strike him, landing behind the Viking on his knees as he swiftly stood to his feet. "Nope." he replied. "You're just too impatient!"

Ivar turned his back, seeing that Hiccup was now charging him with speed. He attempted to raise his weapon to block and slice back at him, but his poor timing left him exposed as he felt a sharp burning pain course near his right hip. Hiccup had managed to find his mark, slashing his blade across the right side of Ivar's lower waist which made the older Viking almost wheeze from the sensation.

Hiccup took a few steps back, spinning his blade and readying himself for anything else that Ivar had to throw at him.

Ivar landed his hand on the wound, feeling his blood cover part of his palm. The sight of this made him enraged, and as he looked back at Hiccup - he growled in anger, almost as if he were some sort of wolf.

"Expect the unexpected." said Hiccup. "As someone once told me."

Ivar responded not with words, but once again with a charge towards Hiccup. His weapon clashed roughly with Hiccup's, making a harder impact which caused the young Viking to be pushed back as he was unable to brace. Ivar however was now in a frenzy. His attacks became quicker, and they were as well stronger, so much so that Hiccup nearly lost the grip of his blade. He was unable to counter at first - only block, but suddenly an idea popped in his head.

As Ivar swung his weapon fast and forward, Hiccup responded with a heavier and more leveraged swing towards his weapon which in turn caused the heavy force from his strike to push Ivar back. The older Viking took a few steps back because of this, and Hiccup immediately advanced on him and continued his assault.

The younger Viking made quick and wide swings at Ivar, attempting to get him off-balanced and force his bullhook to the side so that he could strike the older Viking once more, and once more he did. For a brief moment Ivar's chest became vulnerable to Hiccup, and with a devastating attack the younger Viking brought his fiery blade forward - slashing it down at the right side of Ivar's stomach.

The older Viking first hissed and then growled in pain. As Ivar felt the blade slice right through his armor, he saw the blood begin to seep from the grievous wound. Yet despite the pain he felt, he still would not give up.

"Why won't you DIE ALREADY!?" Ivar screamed, continuing his assault as he spun and struck his bullhook as fast as he could, yet every attack he made no longer seemed as effective as Hiccup was simply just blocking and dodging them, faster than the older Viking himself could counter.

"Simple!" Hiccup replied, pushing aside Ivar's bullhook before responding with a quick yet effective punch to his face, sending him back in a dazy motion. "Throughout the months, I always thought I was on the brink of death whenever it seemed hopeless for me, especially when I fought against your Chieftains! Vlar, Frode, Hjalmar, Karvein; all of them!"

"...But I soon realized that it wasn't luck or fate that allowed me to keep going. It was the choices I made, and the ambition that I had within me that my friends wanted which was to end this damn war you started!"

Ivar chuckled, moving his hand to hold tightly onto the wound Hiccup made. He stepped forward - straightening himself out. "You are a fool…" he said. "Whether you like it or not, war will always exist. Odin desires it! No matter what you do, you cannot change the fate the gods made! Now if you would, shut up and FIGHT!"

Before Hiccup could respond with any form of defense however, Ivar immediately rushed him with new-found speed - almost as if he went fully berserk. Again, his weapon clashed with Hiccup's, and with all his might he pushed against the lad's sword, now being able to force him back.

Hiccup attempted to push back, but Ivar's strength was overwhelming. His feet slid roughly against the wood beneath him, and as he continued trying to hold back he heard the sound of metal bending as if something has broken.

He looked back at the Dragon's Blade, noticing that it had bended as a result of the pressure Ivar had put onto it. He attempted to continue holding, still trying to push… but as Ivar brought his bullhook back and struck at his blade, it was then that he heard a loud snap.

Shards of metal flew outwards, with one of them scratching Hiccup across his face. As the young Viking looked back at his sword, he saw that the entire structure of the blade had shattered almost entirely, leaving the weapon useless.

Hiccup stood there, shocked. The Dragon's Blade had broken in two.

"Not again…" he sighed, dropping the hilt to the ground.

Ivar cackled, pointing his bullhook outwards at Hiccup. "I told you, you could not defeat me, Useless!" he spat. "Your confidence and over patience has left you exposed, and now I have the better of this fight!"

"So, are you ready to die?"

Before any of them could react however, a sudden blast of lightning from above struck in between the two Vikings, aimed closer to Ivar which resulted in him being sent hurling back from the impact, causing him to land flat on his back.

Hiccup however looked curious. Judging by the blue light the lightning gave off, and the way it struck, he knew that this could not have been natural. He turned his eyes towards the sky, and suddenly a smile stretched out on his face. Above him were the familiar figures of Magnus and Thorwind, flying in the air.

"Magnus!" Hiccup called out. "What are you doing here?!"

"Astrid sent me to help you! She was worried!" he replied. "Looks like you are in a rough situation though! Where is your weapon?"

"It's broken!" he replied. "Ivar snapped it in two like a twig, and now I'm defensless! Magnus, any ideas!?"

For a moment Magnus thought about what he could do to help without having Thorwind accidentally electrocuting Hiccup to death, but then his eyes fell upon his weapon Nördar. He knew well that it was stronger than the Dragon's Blade he made for Hiccup, and thus a plan soon began to form in his head.

He unsheathed his blade, throwing it down towards Hiccup tip first, and as soon as it came closer towards the younger Viking the blade then impaled itself into the wooden floor in front of him, allowing Hiccup to take it hilt first.

"Use my blade!" he shouted. "When I give the word, lift it up in the air and wait for Thorwind and I to strike! Alright!?"

Hiccup nodded, taking in the idea of Magnus' strategy. However, the sound of Ivar coughing diverted Hiccup's attention back towards him as he stood to his feet. The older Viking looked back at him with a glaring and wicked look.

His eyes then glanced up towards the sky where the bolt of lightning came from, laying gaze upon Magnus and his Dragon.

"Magnus!" he grunted, spitting out blood from his mouth. "How dare you intervene with our fight!"

"I don't know... From how I see it, it was not a fair one! Especially by someone such as yourself who claims to be a God!" Magnus replied back, almost taunting Ivar to throw his bullhook at him. "Still, you have already doomed yourself, Ivar! Prepare to meet your end!"

As Magnus urged Thorwind to get moving, the Skrill let out a roar that thundered the skies before he soon began to fly around the roof of the Great Hall. The lightning in the sky now began to intensify.

Hiccup looked back at Ivar, smirking as he pulled Nördar up and out with ease, spinning the blade in circles to re-adjust his grip. He had almost forgotten how light and strong it was.

"Let's end this then…" he said.

Now it all came down to a final round.

Hiccup and Ivar both ran at each other, once more clashing their weapons together in a weapon-lock that became almost like the opposite of a tug of war. However, it was clear that Hiccup had the upper hand this time. Not only did he have excellent leverage with Nördar, but the strong material that the weapon had made it impossible for Ivar to push back against it.

With a strong heave forward, Hiccup nudged Ivar back before starting another assault on him. Magnus' weapon provided such a great advantage for him. Not only was it still as fast as he remembered, but it was also strong and unbreakable, if not stronger. Every swing and strike he made, Ivar had trouble countering and reflecting, and he knew that perhaps he had underestimated Hiccup.

The younger Viking then began to circle around Ivar, making the fight more difficult for him. Despite the Völsung Chieftain now giving it all he had in striking back, he left himself exposed enough for Hiccup to attack him directly, making blow after blow and hit after hit on him.

Hiccup made his way up and down, striking Ivar at his arms, his chest, his stomach and waist, and even his plated legs. The strong material proved to be so much that it actually managed to dent through the plated leg supports around Ivar's legs which allowed him to walk, and to this Ivar knew he had messed up, especially since he now found himself lacking the strength to stand with ease.

Ivar breathed rapidly as he felt his right leg fail him. He stared at Hiccup intensely before swinging his bullhook in an arc in an attempt to hit him, but it proved no good.

Hiccup knew that it was now time. Ivar was pinned down, and he had nowhere to go. He looked back at Magnus and Thorwind who both noticed that the Viking King was completely vulnerable, thus they knew that now the moment was upon them.

"Lift the sword, Hiccup!" Magnus called out. "Let's finish this!"

Hiccup nodded, raising Nördar above his head with both his hands, and before he knew it, Thorwind charged up his electricity, and with a great breath he aimed towards Nördar and gave it all he had, striking it with a beam of lightning that was so powerful that it was near lethal.

The lad felt Thorwind's lightning hit Nördar, but he was mostly surprised that he was not electrocuted to death by it. Looking back at the sword, he saw sparks and streaks of lightning run up and down the blade. It was so bright that it almost looked like it was glowing.

He then looked back towards Ivar who was still knelt down, struggling to get up. Hiccup's brows lowered as he gripped Nördar with both his hands.

"This is where it ends."

He rushed forward at Ivar, raising the blade above his head as he jumped up into the air as high as he could, leaping towards him. They both roared out their war cries, with Ivar attempting to raise his bullhook up and strike back, but he was too slow and too late. As Hiccup clashed with Ivar, his mighty swing broke Ivar's bullhook in two as he guided Nördar downwards, meeting his blade with Ivar and stabbing him directly through the chest with all he had.

What followed was a bright burst of lightning as Ivar screamed in pain from the surging electricity running up and down his body. It was so powerful that it knocked both him and Hiccup back, and as Hiccup felt himself get lunged back, a bright blue flash from the burst blinded his eyes - causing him to turn away as the light enveloped everything around him…

...

* * *

A moment passed by after the blinding light cleared up, and so far, nothing had happened.

Hiccup stood to his feet, wiping himself off of any dust. He then looked back towards the direction of Ivar, giving a surprised but satisfied look upon seeing the state of the now fallen Viking King.

Ivar was on both his knees with Nördar stabbed straight through his chest.

He was slowly bleeding out from all of the wounds Hiccup made and gave him, and as the young Viking stepped closer to his fallen opponent he suddenly noticed a ray of light hit his shoulder; a ray of sunlight.

Looking up, he saw the clouds had started to roll off to the East, and soon the sun was shown in it's full view and glory, shining directly onto Hiccup to which he gave a smile to. Funny enough, it was the first time he saw the sun shine over Kattegat.

The sound of Ivar groaning then caught back his attention. Looking back down, he saw Ivar staring up at him - giving an almost expressionless face as he made an effort to form words with his mouth.

"...You may have won, Hiccup..." he said, wheezing. "But even with your victory- you will not be a Viking... so long as there is peace… You… are... nothing…"

Hiccup watched Ivar immediately falter, falling hard and numbingly on his side. His skin quickly started to turn pale, paler than snow as the life rapidly drained out of him until nothing was left in him. Not a sign of life, and not a single breath from him.

And to that, Ivar the Boneless was dead, and so was his Great Army...

Hiccup sighed, kneeling down to Ivar's corpse as he pulled Nördar out from his broken body. "May you rot in Helheim." he said before slowly standing to his feet.

He then turned around, facing back at the city of Kattegat which was now put out and no longer burning. All that remained was smoke from the burnt and crumbled huts and buildings, and as Hiccup walked near the edge of the roof he heard the cheers of the Tribes and his allies in the distance - cheering their hearts out in joy.

Hiccup took a deep breath in, feeling relief overflow him before he lightly let out a relaxed breath of air.

At long last, the war was finally over.

However as he was about to turn around and head for the stairs leading down, he noticed a black winged figure leaping towards him from the corner of his eye, pushing him down flat on his back as it stared down at him. Recognizing the face and its gummy smile, he knew it was Toothless.

"Haha, I'm glad to see you too, Bud!" he replied heartily. "We did it, Toothless. We actually did it! It's finally over..."

* * *

 **The war may be over, but the story is not done just yet.**

 **I plan to make two more chapters before ending this story off, and then after that, I plan for something new that will soon come up.**

 **Either way, I hope this chapter was to your satisfaction!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	81. Together From Afar

**Before you guys begin reading, I'd like to tell to you that this chapter may bring you a mix of feelings.**

 **I felt emotionally inside when I wrote this, especially when doing the ending of this chapter which was something that I never thought I would write. The way it is written is a bit different to what I usually write, but once you reach that ending, you may understand why I titled this chapter as it is.**

 **Anyways, please enjoy.**

* * *

Hiccup and Magnus along with Toothless and Thorwind walked through the streets of Kattegat, glancing around at what remained of the ruined city. The roads were littered with rubble and wood, and the demolished huts and buildings had been burnt out to the point where only smoke rose from what remained of them.

Either way, the two did not expect much.

That was until they began passing by their allies who saluted them with respect, and with them were freed citizens of Kattegat that Ivar had locked up in his prisons - all being escorted to safety.

Hiccup lightly smiled as they walked by him; each of them giving surprising looks at the sight of him.

"Looks like we made it just in time to save them." Hiccup said, looking back at Magnus. "All we need to do now is give them a place to stay, as well as clothing, food, and supplies."

"I can provide them with what they need." replied Magnus, running his hand along Thorwind as he walked near him. "The Warsung have enough resources for them."

Hiccup arched brow. "You?" he asked. "Sorry, it's just that- why not let my father and I help out? I mean, we can help them in finding a home as well."

"No need." said Magnus. "The thing is; I'm taking them into the Warsung. They need a leader, and I am willing to take that burden."

The younger Viking went silent for a moment, staring at Magnus with a slightly surprised look. He could see that the selflessness that the Warsung Chieftain had was beyond anything he saw in him before. Months ago Magnus was just an ordinary blacksmith, and now as a Chieftain - here he was taking a big responsible step into staying as one.

A small smirk stretched out on his face as he nodded in approval. "I can see why Sigurd and those former Völsung Vikings decided to follow you ever since you found them and freed them. You gave them what Ivar could not; a will of their own."

"Aye. But with Ivar dead, there's no doubt that the Tribes will be cheering you on. You put the nail in the coffin which ended this war, and it's because of you that we will be able to go home."

Hiccup chuckled, placing a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "Well, in the meantime, let's go and see how the others are doing."

The two continued making their way down the road heading towards the town center of Kattegat where everyone was most likely gathered, to which they were right about. As they got closer and closer, the presence of their allies nearby began to increase. More warriors came into their view, giving them a cheer or salute. But it was until they reached the town plaza that they saw the Tribes celebrating.

Near off towards center of the plaza, Stoick, Astrid, Eira, Gobber, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins sat around a brazier talking - along with their Dragons and a few Berkian and Warsung warriors who held musical instruments in their hands. They spoke with delighted expressions, all while playing music for the fun of it, making the group laugh.

However, as the sight of Hiccup and Magnus caught the attention of Astrid from the corner of her eyes, she stood and waved to them.

"There they are!" she called out.

Suddenly everyone's eyes turned to the two Vikings and their Dragons, and the town center quickly filled with hundreds of cheers as the warriors and maidens made way for Hiccup and Magnus, patting them on their shoulders and giving them a 'well done' look as they walked towards Astrid and the group.

Upon reaching them, Astrid rushed towards Hiccup, wrapping her arms around him with a tight hug. Before he could respond however, Astrid immediately moved her lips forward towards his with a lovely kiss, all whilst she was smiling.

As the two separated, Hiccup stared back at her with an almost drunken-like look in his eyes. "I could get use to that." he said, receiving a smile from Astrid.

She then gave a motion with her hand, giving them a welcoming gesture for the two Vikings and their Dragons to sit down, to which they gladly accepted.

As Magnus was about to sit, his eyes fell upon Eira who gave him a look that made him lightly giggle. The two lovers then leaned in towards each other, meeting with a gentle kiss on their lips before Magnus then sat down, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

As the two settled in, the warriors and maidens around them quickly got back to celebrating, and once more the plaza filled with the sounds of hearty chattering and festivities.

Stoick, who sat near Hiccup, gave his son a tight hug as he chuckled. "Looks like you've done it, Son. We are once again back at peace thanks to you."

Hiccup nodded as he lightly wheezed from his father's hug as it nearly knocked all of the air out of him. "Thanks, Dad…" he replied before recovering as the larger Viking let him go. "Still, it was nothing that I couldn't accomplish. With Ivar's death, there is without a doubt that another war like this will ever happen again... hopefully."

"Well, at least ya managed ta kill 'em." replied Gobber. "How did ya do it anyways?"

"Hiccup used Nördar to finish Ivar off thanks to a lightning bolt from Thorwind." answered Magnus, turning his eyes to his sheathed weapon. "That blast he gave was near lethal, but imbuing Nördar with it made it all the more dangerous. There was no way Ivar could have survived that, and once again, it's thanks to the structure of the sword that Hiccup was not electrocuted to death."

"Wooow." Tuffnut responded. "Now that it what a call giving someone a good ol' Loki!"

"Ya mean Thor?" asked Ruffnut. "Dude, it's lightning after all."

Fishlegs sighed, shaking his head. "Still, there is much that we have to recover from Ivar. He did steal quite alot from us ever since Olaf looted the Archipelago."

"Aye." said Hiccup. "Though speaking of which, I am pleased to tell you guys that Magnus and I actually managed to find the thousands of pounds of gold Ivar had stolen and "hidden" in the Great Hall; in his chambers near the back. That includes all the wealth Olaf stole from us."

Stoick's eyes widened with surprise. He then looked back at Gobber who gave him a nod, and then he looked towards the other Chieftains who stood in the distance with their men.

"Gobber, gather the other Chieftains and have them come with me. It's about time we all get our gold back."

The blonde Viking gave a nod as he stood up, following Stoick towards the other Chieftains who was going to tell them about the wealth they found. If anything, it was more than enough for each Tribe.

Hiccup sighed as his father walked off, gazing back to the others with an awkward look on his face, to which they also shared the same look. For a moment they all sat in silence, holding their tankards of ale in their hands all whilst their Dragons nearby rested and played around, running in circles. To everyone, it was an embarrassing situation…

But it wasn't until Eira had an idea pop up in her head that she made the silence break. She looked towards the warriors who held their musical instruments in their hands, and began tapping her right foot in a rhythm.

Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus and the others glanced at her curiously as she started to tap her foot. It was in a slow but catchy rhythm, and before they knew it, Eira began to sing in Old Norse which caught the attention of the warriors; or rather minstrels.

" _Villemann gjekk seg te storan å…"_

" _Hei fagraste lindelauvi alle,"_

" _Der han ville gullharpa slå,"_

" _For de runerne de lyster han å vinne…"_

The Vikings holding their instruments looked back at each other with grins, nodding as they slowly began to play along with Eira's song. The drum banged to the rhythm, the lute strummed note after note, the bukkehorn blew with joy, and the fiddle played heartily.

Eira continued singing, and soon the minstrels sung too as they played.

" _Villemann gjenge for straumen å stå…"_

" _Hei fagraste lindelauvi alle!"_

" _Mesterleg kunne han gullharpa slå,"_

" _For de runerne de lyster han å vinne…"_

" _Han leika med lente, han leika med gny…"_

" _Hei fagraste lindelauvi alle!"_

" _Og fugelen tagna på grønande kvist,"_

" _For de runerne de lyster han å vinne…"_

Eira and the minstrels sang and sang to the rhythm of their hearty tune, and as soon as they came to stop, Hiccup, Magnus, and the group along with a few others nearby applauded for their excellent playing and singing, leaving Eira to blush.

The Dragons on the other hand stood there in curiosity and interest. What were those amazing sounds that they had just listened to?

Magnus stood to his feet, offering Eira a hand. "That was amazing!" he said before kissing her on the forehead. "Why didn't you ever consider singing for us during our journey?"

"I didn't think it would sound good." Eira replied, still blushing. "Plus, I felt a little bit embarrassed back then."

"Well at least you sung better than others." complimented Astrid. "I could never sing even if my life depended on it. Others such as Tuff however just naturally suck at it."

"Hey!"

The group gave a chuckle to Astrid's joke. Tuffnut however sat there in an embarrassed but also pissed off manner. Getting insulted by his sister one thing, but by Astrid, that was a whole nother thing.

However, as soon as the others continued talking and joking, Hiccup's attention mysteriously wandered off into another direction towards a road leading somewhere that felt… familiar to him.

He clearly remembered something about Kattegat, something that brought back memories of when he was a thrall. Before he met his father. Before he met Toothless. Even before he met Astrid…

Eagered to find out, Hiccup immediately stood to his feet, wandering off towards the direction that had his attention. As he did though, Astrid's eyes caught glance of him, and she quickly became suspicious as she quietly began following him…

…

* * *

Hiccup remembered what he was thinking about when he stared off towards the road leading to Magnus' old Blacksmith. At one point he had passed by it, catching a glance of what remained of it - which was nothing but rubble as well as pieces of burnt wood and metal scattered around.

But soon he came upon the main thing that dragged him here. Before him stood the ruined and old small cottage he used to sleep and live in when Olaf was still the Slavemaster. He remembered how it smelt like hounds and rotten food, and how he used to get beaten up by Olaf once or twice every month in there.

He shuddered at the thought of it. They were memories he wished to forget about for the rest of his life.

"You're no longer anything to me." he said to himself, staring up at the cottage. "Just a broken memory, and a thing that will be forgotten."

"Who are you talking to?"

Hiccup jumped as he heard the voice from behind him catch him by surprise. Upon turning his head around, he saw Astrid approach him with a curious but concerned face. 'Why was he all the way out here?' she thought to herself.

He sighed, gesturing towards the small cottage in front of him. "You see this?" he asked. "...This is where it all began. I lived here in this cottage when Olaf was still the Slavemaster: when he had been tormenting me for months - if not years…"

Astrid rose her brows, stepping closer to Hiccup. "What did he do to you?"

There was a pause as he looked at her, shaking his head with a frowned face. "...He abused me and tortured me, at least once or twice a month." he said. "And anything that I did wrong that he did not like, he would _discipline_ me and give me warning after warning. I've received scars from the past that I had thanks to him, and this cottage is a small part of it…"

"...But now, those days are long gone."

Astrid stood there deep in her thoughts, feeling very sympathetic for Hiccup. Seeing now first hand what he had to live and deal with everyday made her heart sink, and thinking about what he had gone through made her almost see more of it... She lightly sighed as she stepped closer to Hiccup from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Well, you can forget about it now, babe." she replied, now smiling. "Remember that your father is here, Toothless is here… and I'm here. Whatever happened back then is just a distant memory. You should just forget about it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he sighed, laying his hands on her arms. "I'm just glad that you're here."

"Same here." she softly replied before sliding her arms off from around him, stepping to his side.

A moment of silence then followed as they stood there - staring down the house. "...So, what now?" asked Astrid.

Hiccup shrugged, looking back at her. "I guess we should get back to the others to see what they're doing. Who knows if-"

"So, you came back here?" a voice from nearby asked.

Hiccup and Astrid spun their heads around, revealing Magnus and Eira who were walking towarss them along with Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd - the three of whom were glancing around at the ruined city they once called home.

"Magnus?" Hiccup asked. "How did you know I was here?"

"I thought about it, and I soon knew that you would go back to the place where it all started." responded Magnus, glancing up at the old cottage. "It must be hard to imagine how far you've gone ever since that day you left Kattegat. Then again, it was for the better…"

"Along with that, I also came here because I have something else to share with you."

Magnus looked back at Ubba and Hvitserk, giving them a nod as the two sons of Ragnar stepped forward, facing Hiccup.

"We're going to move on..." spoke Ubba. "With our brother Ivar dead, and the Völsung along with the Great Army destroyed, we want to look towards a more peaceful life that involves what our father Ragnar _initially_ wanted. Thus, Hvitserk and I have made a decision along with our men that we are going to disband our Clans, and join the Warsung Tribe. Magnus will be our Chieftain."

Hiccup arched both his brows in a surprised look, glancing between Magnus, Ubba, and Hvitserk. "You guys don't want to be Jarls anymore?"

"We will still be Jarls." said Hvitserk. "It's just that we will follow under Magnus who has proved time and time again to have been a better Chieftain than Ivar. Besides, I think it's about time we _fully_ reunite with Sigurd, wouldn't you say brother?"

"Indeed." he nodded. "Either way, it's settled."

With their decision made final, Magnus grasped both his hands, nodding as he looked back towards the road leading to the plaza. "If I were you Hiccup and Astrid, I would make way towards the plaza, and then to the marketplace near the docks."

Hiccup arched a brow. "Hm?"

"Your friends and the others are readying the ships for your voyage back to Berk. It's time for you to go home…"

…

* * *

The docks were packed with many warriors. Hiccup and the others supplied their ships with chests of gold and resources which were equally divided amongst the other Tribes, all while readying themselves and their vessels for the voyage home. After all, they still had a lot to catch up with.

However, as Hiccup and Toothless stood there overseeing the Hooligan Tribe prepare their boats, they noticed that the Warsung Tribe was not making an effort at all to prepare their own vessels - and rather just help out the other Tribes.

Along with that, a large amount of them along with the former civilians of Kattegat were grouped up in the marketplace, standing before Magnus and Eira.

Toothless crooned as he tilted his head to look up at Hiccup, curious. To this, the lad shrugged. "I don't know, Bud..."

Hiccup gazed back at Astrid as she, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins were packing supplies on the longships with the help of their Dragons, but seeing as how he was focused on what Magnus was doing he turned around and made his way to the Warsung Chieftain who was addressing something to the Warsung Tribe, along with the civilians.

"...With the war over, our primary objective is to look towards peace!" he announced. "Though many of you may find it a bit struggling to adjust to your new lives, I assure you, it will be a better one! Especially for you, former people of Kattegat! I will give you what Ivar himself never gave you: freedom and peace!"

"And so I ask you! Will you follow me?"

The marketplace quickly filled with cheers as the warriors and former people of the Völsung, now Warsung, looked to each other with gladful faces and looks. Though their new life may be a small struggle at first, they were still willing to take it.

Slowly but surely, the warriors and people began to spread out, going back to minding their own business and duties. After all, it was going to be a long day ahead of them - and they had to get ready.

"...Magnus? Eira?"

Hiccup spoke as he neared them, making them turn around to face him. However, judging by their looks - it seemed as if they had something important to tell him. At least Magnus did.

"Hiccup." sighed Magnus as the young lad came closer. "I am going to assume that you've come here to ask why we're not preparing our ships. Am I right?"

"Y- Yes." he stuttered with confusion in his voice. "...Magnus, is there something I'm missing here? What's going on?"

Magnus knew he had to tell him. Knowing as well that there was no other way to express this to him, he took a few steps forward to Hiccup, calmly laying both of his hands on his shoulders. He then let in and let out a light breath...

"...I'm not coming back with you."

His mind suddenly went blank. Those words made Hiccup feel empty almost immediately. It was as if his heart had sunken into his stomach and began beating rapidly. His voice nearly turned weak as he looked at Magnus with shock and bewilderment. He didn't understand. Why was this happening?

"But- why?" he asked. "I thought you said that you would be coming back with us, didn't you...?"

"I know - at one point I said I would." he sighed, slightly crouching to meet with Hiccup's level. "...But if I leave with you, then who is going to stay behind and watch over Norway? There are still smaller Tribes out there - those who never joined Ivar. Imagine if someone else tries to rise as another Ivar. Everything will spiral into chaos once again, and another war will break out. I don't want that. None of us do. And besides, we don't have enough ships to carry both Ubba's and Hvitserk's warriors oversea, and nor the civilians. Dragon's Wake will also needs someone to look after it."

"I am willing to take this burden if that's what it takes to keep order among not just my people and my Tribe, but as well as the many others that may sought to become what Ivar was. You on the other hand have a fresh new life ahead of you. Berk and the Archipelago has a new future because of you. Use it while you can. Be the future Chief of Berk you were meant to be."

Though Magnus' words hurt Hiccup deeply, he knew that he was right. Unless no one stayed to look after the lands of Norway, what would happen if another war broke out? It could get the Archipelago involved again.

The lands would return to a state of barbarism. It could not happen again, and it was clear that Magnus was the only one who could keep this from happening seeing that he now had the strength to do so. He had the influence and people to help him. He would bring order to the land Hiccup once called Hel.

Tears lightly ran down Hiccup's cheeks as he looked back at Magnus. He wanted to break down there and then, but there was no point. "I'm going to miss you, Magnus." he said. "You were like a brother to me."

Magnus nodded with an almost disappointing expression. "As will I, brother." he replied. "But I promise that I'll send you a letter once a month. I'll stay in touch with you from afar."

And to that, Hiccup reached his arms out to his brother-in-arms, hugging Magnus tightly as he laid his chin on his shoulder. The older Viking sighed, wrapping his arms lightly around Hiccup like the brother he was to him. Though they may have not come from the same family, they both felt like family.

After a long moment passed, the two separated, and without another word, Hiccup turned around and began making his way back to the docks, all while wiping his tears away. As he walked, he took a quick moment to glance once more back at Magnus before turning back to face forward, no longer looking back at him.

As Magnus watched him walk off in silence, he felt Eira's hand wrap around his as they both smiled while watching Hiccup wander towards the docks.

"He has a bright future ahead of him." she said.

Magnus nodded. "Aye…"

As soon as Hiccup made it to the docks, he gestured to Toothless to follow as they both soon boarded their longship, settling in with Astrid, Stoick, Gobber, and the others who were all ready to sail back home.

"All o' our ships are ready, and our men an' Dragons are on board! We leave on yer command, Chief." said Gobber, looking back at Stoick.

Stoick gave a nod. "Aye. Order the ships to set sail with the other Tribes. It's time. We're going home."

And with that, the horn was blown as the Tribes and their ships soon set off in unison, sailing down Kattegat's river and towards the sunset which led out into the ocean.

As Hiccup sat there on the bench of his ship, looking back at Kattegat, he felt Astrid scoot closer to him, gently laying her head on his shoulder. Then from the corner of his eye, he saw Toothless approach him, lightly nudging him with his head jokingly to lighten him up.

Astrid looked up at Hiccup, noticing he was looking back at the ruined city with a peculiar look. "Did Magnus stay behind?"

"Yeah." he said. "...It's for good reason that we move on, but we'll still be together from afar."

As the ships sailed off into the sunset, Magnus and Eira stood there together - holding their hands as they watched them soon disappear in the distance. Though it would be a different kind of world without Hiccup being around them, they could still make it as better as he would have wanted it.

The two lovers looked back at each other, nodding.

"So that's it then." sighed Eira. "He's gone."

"Yes… and no." replied Magnus. "We'll still be together from afar… but Eira, if you don't mind, I- I have something else to tell you- or well, show you if that's alright?"

Eira arched a brow as Magnus let his hand go from hers. "Really? What is it?"

...It was then that Magnus responded not with words, but with something amazing.

He slowly backed up from Eira before reaching into a pocket behind his cloak as he took out one of the most prettiest things that she had ever seen. It was a silver ring with small runes carved on it, and upon looking at it, the realization had hit her. She glanced between Magnus and the ring, grinning wider than ever as she gasped in delight. Was he really going to ask her what she thought he was going to ask her?

...He was.

Magnus stepped closer to her, raising Eira's hands up before moving them closer to him as he placed the ring in her palms before covering her hands with his own.

"Will you marry me, Eira?"

* * *

 **An emotional ending to such a long journey... but the story is not done yet.**

 **Next chapter will be the epilogue, and Hiccstrid!**


	82. Epilogue (Including Hiccstrid!)

**To be honest, I cannot believe it. After over a year of writing this story, we have reached the very end of it. Our conclusion to No More.**

 **While making this chapter, I kept listening to Marcus Warner - City of Sails which helped me bump up on my writing. If anything, I recommend you guys listen to that track while reading this.**

 **...And yes, this chapter will have an emotional ending... with Hiccstrid!**

 **Keep in mind by the way that there will be an A/N discussion after the end of this chapter down below that I would like for you guys to read. It will express some things I want to answer as well as hint as to what is next after No More.**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy the final chapter of No More!**

* * *

 _ **Four months later…**_

The sun hit Hiccup's eyes as he took a step out the door of his hut, into the morning light of Berk. He grinned proudly upon taking a glance at the village, taking in a deep breath of air before lightly letting it out...

It was wonderful.

Before he could make his way out however, a voice from inside the hut called for him. "Hold on a moment, Son! Don't forget to bring Toothless along! I can't take care of him and Skullcrusher at the same time you know!" called out Stoick.

Hiccup looked back as he saw Toothless dash towards him, wagging his tail and panting happily with his tongue out as if he were a dog. The nineteen year old grinned, chuckling as the Night Fury lightly nudged against him.

"Alright, alright." he said. "We can go flying. I just gotta go see Astrid first, alright?"

Judging by how Toothless responded, he had no problem with it. Hiccup then closed the door behind them as the two quickly made their way out into the morning of Berk, glancing around at it's wonders.

Months had passed since the war ended, and Berk had changed for the better. The Blacksmith became a Workshop for Dragon saddles and weapons, the Arena became the new Dragon Academy, the huts and homes extended out over the cliffs on top of well built ramparts, there were places for the Dragons to live and sleep in, and a Dragon racing area for both Vikings and Dragons had been set up out near the cliffs.

Along with that, Hiccup's nineteenth birthday had also recently passed.

As a whole, Berk had transformed into a place for both Vikings and Dragons, especially since the whole village was swarming with them - flying around with riders on their backs.

Hiccup smiled as he watched them fly by overhead, making him chuckle at the sight of it. After all, it was all thanks to him and many others that this was possible.

While making their way to the plaza, he looked down at Toothless who walked beside him. "Well bud, I guess it's safe to say we did it." he said. "Just look at what we've made Berk into. A place for both people and Dragons. If anything, life has just gotten a whole lot brighter here."

Toothless warbled in agreement, still continuing making their way down the road, and upon reaching the plaza, they were greeted with dozens of villagers and warriors who all waved to Hiccup, addressing him with hearty greetings.

"Hiccup!" one would call out.

"Good morning, Hiccup!" another said. "You are looking excellent today!"

"Hiccup, laddy! If ye need help with anything later, feel free to call on me!"

As a whole though, he had won the respect of everyone on Berk, even from those that did not initially trust Dragons; all of who were now loving them as if they were their friends and their own. It was like a paradise on earth.

Nearing the Workshop, Hiccup spotted Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins hanging about with their Dragons. Another thing that had changed from the months that followed the ending of the war was their overall looks. Not only had they changed their clothing, but they changed physically.

Hiccup waved at them. "Hey guys!" he called out.

Immediately their attention turned onto Hiccup as they heard his voice and they swiftly approached him, giving him pats on the back and shoulders, and greeting him happily.

"Hiccup!" said Fishlegs. "You seem to be looking well today. Did you get good sleep?"

"Aye, as usual." he replied. "Look listen- I am a bit in a rush right now. I came down here to ask if you guys knew where Astrid was. She might be waiting for me to come by to see her."

"Astrid? She left not too long ago. She and Stormfly went flying out towards the grasslands near the woods." said Snotlout. "In fact, she wanted us to tell you that she's there, waiting for you."

"Yeah, but judging by her look, she seemed a bit suspicious. A bit too suspicious…" said Ruffnut.

"Eh, it's probably nothing." replied Tuffnut, looking back at his sister. "Astrid smiles too much nowadays. Gives me the creeps though."

"Hmm… the grasslands near the woods you say?" he asked. "Are you guys sure she's there, or is this another prank of yours again?"

"Heh... Hiccup, I'm absolutely sure of it." replied Snotlout. "Anyways though, I can't stay here for too long. Hookfang and I have some flight practice to do soon and we have to sharpen up on our skills. Isn't that right, Hookfang?"

The Monstrous Nightmare rolled his eyes, turning his head around and facing away from him.

"HEY! Don't you turn your head from me you useless reptile!"

Fishlegs and the Twins laughed in response to Snotlout's small tantrum, looking at him and Hookfang who both now seemed to be facing away from each other which just made them laugh even more, especially since Snotlout was grumbling to himself.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless, shrugging. "Well, Bud. Guess we're going flying already."

Toothless warbled happily as he leaned down for Hiccup, allowing the young Viking to mount on top of him. He shifted his foot and prosthetic into place on top of the pedals, all while adjusting himself to the new setup for Toothless' prosthetic as he sat in his saddle.

Before taking flight however, he turned his gaze back to Snotlout. "Oh Snotlout, don't forget to tell Gobber that he needs to tighten up a bit on the saddles. Some of them get a bit too loose when in flight, so they need to be tuned a bit."

Snotlout nodded with a sigh. "Alright, but please don't force too much on me, will you? It's hard enough having to take care of Hookfang than it already is. I don't want be a messenger boy."

"Heh, I won't." chuckled Hiccup.

And with that, both Hiccup and Toothless were soon off as they swiftly flew their way towards the forests with haste. The young Viking held on tightly to the head his saddle, grinning.

"I wonder what she's going to say to me?"

…

* * *

A punch landed on Hiccup's shoulder as the familiar blonde-headed figure of Astrid approached him, giving him a serious look. "That's for being late, Hiccup Haddock!"

Hiccup rose a brow in confusion. "W- What?! What are you talking about-"

His words suddenly cut off however as Astrid pressed her lips against his own, giving off a smile underneath her kiss, and it wasn't until she let go that Hiccup noticed her grin.

"Oh." he said. "But still, what was the point of punching me?"

"Because I love you, babe." she replied, grasping onto his hand. "Now, what say we go lie down in the grass like old times?"

Hiccup nodded as the two of them ran off into the grassy fields, laughing with their Dragons following behind before eventually lying down on top of a small hill overseeing near the ocean. It was the same place where Hiccup first encountered Toothless when the Monstrous Nightmare attacked them.

As far as how Hiccup's relationship went with Astrid, the two were closer than ever. Not only that, but like Hiccup, Astrid had herself a new outfit.

Her old blue woolen shirt was replaced with a fresh red colored tunic, she wore a furred hood and furred gloves for when she went flying, her ponytail went down over her left shoulder like a braid, her leggings were a blue ocean color, and she also had new boots.

If anything, the outfit showed off a more brighter side of Astrid.

As the two laid and sat down in the grass looking up at the clouds, Toothless and Stormfly nearby were playing around, chasing each other in circles with lap after lap around Hiccup and Astrid.

They chuckled, still looking up at the clouds passing by overhead.

"Quite the view today, eh?" asked Hiccup. "You know, these are among the most sightful clouds I've seen in a while. Puffy looking as well."

Astrid lightly giggled, smirking. "Heh, at least these clouds are better than what we saw in Norway. It was always just grey and wintry there. But here, it isn't bad at all."

"...Though speaking of Norway, have you received any word from Magnus yet? It's been months since I or the others last heard from him. But you on the other hand..."

"Well..." began Hiccup. "I actually have. We've been using the Terror mail to send letters between each other. Overall though he's doing fine, as well as Eira and her child who is still yet to be born."

"Well that's good to hear that you two are still in touch." she said, leaning closer to him. "But for now, let this be a moment between the two of us. We've barely had anytime to ourselves, and I think it's time that we make up for that."

Hiccup nodded, leaning his head against Astrid's. "...So then, what do you see?"

"Hm?" she replied, arching a brow. "What do you mean?"

"What do you see in the sky?" he asked her. "Like- what does… that cloud look like?"

His hand pointed towards the direction of a cloud near to the right that flew over Astrid, and she gazed up at it as she began to quietly think. However, upon a further and closer glance at it, she could make out the shape and figure of what seemed to resemble…

"A Nadder." she answered, turning her eyes towards Hiccup. "It resembles the head of a Deadly Nadder, almost like Stormfly. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hiccup shrugged, resting his hands over his stomach. "I guess so."

"You guess so or you know so?" she asked him in a serious tone, receiving a slightly surprised look from him which made her chuckle. "...I'm only kidding with you. Anyways, it's your turn. Look up… there. What do you see?"

Her finger up pointed towards the direction of a cloud somewhat near Hiccup's left, flying by him in a swifter manner than the other clouds.

As Hiccup looked up at it, he tried to imagine what it was, and as he blinked a few times something came into his sight. It was the familiar figure of a Dragon which in person would contrast the color of the cloud. The answer was too clear.

"I see Toothless." he said, raising a finger towards it as his hand followed it. "Look, can you see? His head is leaned forward with the rest of his body, his wings are spread out, and the speed at which he is flying is faster than the other clouds going by."

"Oh yeah…" she said. "Well, from my view it looks like he's flying backwards."

Hiccup let out a light laugh, gently moving his head closer to Astrid's. "That's the Astrid I remembered when I first met her." he said. "It's good to see that there's that part of you which hasn't changed a bit…"

"Anyways, now it's your turn. What do you see over… there?"

Hiccup's hand moved in between the two of them, towards a bright cloud in the center of the cluster of other clouds overhead. As Astrid squinted her eyes at the sight of it, she slowly began to make out not one - but two figures standing together. They were holding hands, leaning their heads against each other like lovers. And before she knew it, something miraculous happened that _had_ to be from her imagination.

The two cloudy figures rose their hands up and began dancing in the air together as if they were having a great time.

Though they had no facial expressions nor physical features to show what they were, Astrid could immediately tell by their outlines what- or rather who they were.

She looked back at Hiccup, using her elbows to help herself sit up before calmly leaning over him. She gave a smile. "I see you... and me…"

"Do you now?" he smiled back at her.

For a moment the two sat there in silence, looking back at each other with their eyes looking deep into one another. Then out of instinct, the two young Vikings began to move their heads closer and closer, until their lips met in a long and loving kiss which lasted for way more than just a few seconds.

As soon as they parted their kiss, the lover birds were once again looking back at each other, chuckling.

"I love you, Astrid." said Hiccup.

"I know." responded Astrid. "I love you too, babe."

Astrid then stood to her feet as she offered a hand to help Hiccup up, to which the young lad gladly took, allowing himself to be pulled up to his feet until they were both up, standing tall and straight. "So milady, shall we go flying?" asked Hiccup.

"Thought you would never ask." giggled Astrid as they looked back at their Dragons, calling out them.

"Stormfly, come here girl!"

"Toothless!"

The two Dragons spun their heads, looking back at them as they hastily dashed over to them. However, they came a little bit too close as they met with their riders. Unable to stop in time, they zoomed past Hiccup and Astrid and caused them to fall down to the ground almost on top of each other. However, this left them both laughing.

"Oh Toothless!" giggled Hiccup.

…

* * *

The two Vikings flew atop Toothless and Stormfly high over the village of Berk, sticking close to each other as they performed scenic and yet advanced maneuvers with their Dragons whilst having as much fun with their flight as they could. They made maneuvers upwards, downwards, sideways, in spirals, and even in ways where Hiccup and Astrid were actually standing on top of their Dragons while flying.

It was then however that the both of them made a jump for it, and it was a _literal_ jump for it.

They both leaped off their Dragons, spiraling and falling downwards through the air with delight. They even managed to get close enough to where they were right next to each other, able to reach out and hold hands.

...And then they separated, and from above their Dragons came storming down, now falling with their riders.

"Yeah, baby!" cheered Hiccup as he and Toothless twirled downwards in circles, with Astrid and Stormfly now parallel from them.

"Whoo-hoo!" Astrid screamed joyfully. "Yeah!"

Eventually the two of them reached out to their Dragons to mount back on them, sitting back in their saddles as they maneuvered upwards, still remaining high enough above the village of Berk. And as they flew, they looked back at each other with delight in their faces. To them, this moment was the time of their lives.

"Ready to take this for a zoom, Astrid?"

Astrid smirked, holding tightly onto her saddle. "Don't mind if I do!"

Immediately she and Stormfly zoomed themselves passed Hiccup, flying at a speed that was faster than for what most Dragons could handle. For a Night Fury however, it would be more than enough to handle.

Hiccup adjusted Toothless' flap so that he could bolt forward, and with lightning speed the Night Fury sped fast towards Astrid and Stormfly until they met up with them, to which Toothless slowed down and flew along with their speed.

The young Vikings once more gazed at each other, flying their Dragons close enough for just a moment to reach out and tightly hold hands before once again splitting off, focusing more on their flying as much as their love for each other. Soon, they started to fly up towards the clouds - as high as they could reach.

Both Hiccup and Astrid flew higher and higher, until they were soon rushing through the soft puffy white clouds to the speed of the wind, flying off together on their Dragons towards the far bright and blue distant horizon…

...

" _This, is Berk… it may not be the best of places found in the world, but it's definitely the best to us. It's our home; my home. A place where one may go to find both humans and Dragons working together in peace."_

" _Being located solidly on the Meridian of Misery is just a joke. There is no misery here - just a good life. Because you see, to many of us, Berk is more than just a random island in the middle of a big blue ocean. It is a utopia. A paradise that is out of this world... And we strive to bring peace to it."_

" _The enemy we fought long ago however sought to break that peace, and when they came to us from far away lands and tried to fight us for it, we Berkians stood united against them in our darkest time with many others, and we won it back."_

" _Time and time and again we will continue doing the same until our days come to an end. Though it may not be today, though it may not be tomorrow, I can tell you that it won't be at all anytime soon."_

" _Sure the enemy may have massive armies... They may have allies and evil tyrants commanding them. But we- heh, we have one thing that they don't have."_

"... _We have... Dragons!"_

 ** _..._ _No More - The End..._**

* * *

 **...And that's it. That is the end of the story. That is the end of No More. But before you guys close this off, please continue scrolling down.**

 **To end this whole thing off with a few final notes, I would like you guys to read these questions and answers that I have down below. They are questions which some of you may have wanted to ask me at one point.**

 **One of them however hints as to what I have planned next.**

 **...**

 **Question One: "What inspired you to make No More?** **"**

 **Answer: The time I was considering to write this story was when I was watching a T.V. show called Vikings. That show had many inspirations that I put into this story which in turn made it go on for so long with all of these characters. Merging HTTYD Vikings with authentic Vikings? Now that was something.**

 **Take Ivar the Boneless for example, the main antagonist of this story. He was based off Ivar the Boneless from the show, from how he looked and how he sounded, except his armor in this story was depicted a bit differently.**

 **Kattegat is also an inspiration from Vikings, because the city in that show is the same city shown in this story - just with a different appearance. In real life however, Kattegat is just a strait between Sweden and Denmark.**

 **...**

 **Question Two: "Are Ivar, Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd really based off real people?"**

 **Answer: Yes, actually! Those four in real life were indeed brothers, and the sons of Ragnar Löthbrok who was a legendary Viking. Under Ivar, Ubba, Hvitserk, and Sigurd, many Vikings from all around Scandinavia united by the thousands after Ragnar's death and invaded Britannia. From England, to Scotland, and to Ireland. This force was known as the Great Heathen Army.**

 **Also, just as a side note, Ivar, Ubba, Hvitserk and Sigurd did not come from Norway like shown in this story. They were actually from Denmark, thus they were really Danes.**

 **...**

 **Question Three: "What made you think up of Hiccup, Astrid, and the gang along with their Vikings go up against _Scandinavian Vikings, Germanic Barbarians, and Rus'_?"**

 **Answer: It was the similarities that they had culture-wise. The Scandinavians and Vikings came from Germanic Tribes in Northern Germania back in the Roman days who went up into Denmark, and then eventually into the rest of Scandinavia, and the Rus' (or Rus' Vikings) were Swedish Vikings who went over into Kievan Rus' and settled with the Slavs.**

 **As a whole, you can see why I used them to make such a big threat for this story. Quite a blast of the past for them.**

 **...**

 **Question Four: "Were there any initial plans that you had for this story that did not make it into the final cut?"**

 **Answer: Yes actually! Initially there was going to be:**

 **An assault on Eret's Fort which was under the control of the Great Army.**

 **Seperate battles for both the Iron Wolf and Broken Axe Clans.**

 **Sieges on both the Iron Foundry and Forgework Harbor from two seperate point of views.**

 **Astrid and the gang discovering where Ivar was hiding after he returned to Norway.**

 **And Drago taking a few hundred Great Army remnants into his ranks.**

 **However, I soon realized that not only was some of this not interesting, but it would take too long to put in. So I scrapped it**

 **...**

 **Question Five: "Do you view No More as a successful or unsuccessful story?"**

 **Answer: In my opinion, neither! Though there were flaws here and there in the story, there were still elements that made people want to read this story. The introduction of characters, the dark theme it presented, and even the suspense it gave... However, as the story progressed, some people had lost interest of it. I believe that if I had taken a different road, the story could have come out much better. But at the same time, I like it in a way for what it is.**

 **So to me, it's neither a success nor failure.**

 **...**

 **Final Question: "What story do you have planned next? Is it a sequel to No More?"**

 **Answer: Unfortunately I do not have a sequel planned yet... HOWEVER, the next story I have planned is going to be a bigger step forward. It will still have Berk and the rest of the Archipelago, except the whole setting of it will take place in... something more, and something unusual.**

 **What I can tell you is that the next time I see you guys, we will be flying on the wings of Midgard.**

 **Until then, you will have to wait...**

 **...**

 **And thus, I would like to end it off here and thank you all for sticking with me through this long journey. You guys as a whole have been amazing!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


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